Red Lentil Taco Soup

Written by Published on in Soups

Perfect wintertime comfort soup. Years ago on a winter day, my mom made my brother and I a spicy tortilla soup that was creamy and warm, and I couldn’t get enough! She got the recipe from a friend — it wasn’t vegan — and at the time I was starting to experiment with vegan ingredients, so I came up with my own recipe inspired by the original. It’s not really the same at all, but the warm spice is still rich enough to remind me of being cozy at my mom’s house on that winter day.

WFPB. Oil-free option.

Health benefits:

  • Lentils + black beans are some of the most nutritious sources of protein you can get. Plus, fiber and micronutrients. Great for restoring energy!
  • Tomatoes are full of antioxidants and vitamins. (I try to avoid being reductionist in listing individual micro and macronutrients contained in individual vegetables, because the true benefit is how they work together physiologically, in your system. See Colin Campbell’s The China Study p. )
  • Sub water for coconut cream to make oil-free. You could add a splash of almond milk to make slightly creamy just before serving. 

How easy is this recipe?

Other than how healthy it is, the best thing about this recipe is how easy and fast it is to make. I make it in the winter when I’m exhausted of life in general or I’m coming home late from work and am too hungry and tired to “cook.” Basically, no “cooking” is required. 

Here is the one sentence instruction: Dump cans in a soup pot and heat until the lentils are almost soft. 

I make this all the time. And it is non-vegan approved!

Red Lentil Taco Soup

Red Lentil Taco Soup

Recipe by WFPBstrong
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 can no salt added diced tomatoes

  • 3/4-1C red lentils

  • 1 3/4 C water (OR almost 1 can coconut cream)

  • 1/2 can tomato paste

  • Almost 1 packet of Siete brand Mild taco seasoning.

  • 1/2 can sweet corn

  • 1 can pinto or black beans

  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

  • Small bunch cilantro

Directions

  • Add all ingredients to large sauce pan.
  • Simmer on low until lentils are soft but not too soft.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Garnish with cilantro.
  • Serve with salt-free tortilla chips.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • I have to say, it is necessary to use the Siete brand for the taco seasoning! These things normally don’t matter but this time it does. I normally use low sodium taco seasoning packets and I tried that with this and it wasn’t as good. The particular spice mix in Siete is exactly the warmth that brings this recipe together, so I highly recommend sticking with it. There is no other salt added to the recipe anyway, so I don’t worry about too much sodium.
  • No utensils required. I recommend eating with tortilla chips. My favorite chips— and the only kind I use because they’re salt free — are these.

Comments are closed.