🍲 Nourishing Lentil Soup (One-Pot, No-Fuss)
Description
This is my real-life, throw-everything-in-the-pot lentil soup — simple, grounding, and deeply nourishing.
No sautéing required. No perfection needed. Just whole foods simmered slowly until they soften, deepen, and come together into something incredibly comforting.
If you add the optional brown rice, this soup becomes so thick and satisfying you can eat it with a fork (not a spoon 😄). A little extra cooking time only makes it better — more flavour, more softness, more nourishment.
This is the kind of food that supports your body and your nervous system: warm, steady, reliable, and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1½ cups green lentils, rinsed
- 8 cups vegetable broth or water (add more as needed)
- 1 tbsp rosemary, crushed
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp pink Himalayan salt
- Optional: 1 cup brown rice (for extra thickness and heartiness)
- Optional: handful of baby spinach or kale, added at the end
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (except spinach or kale) to a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cover and cook until the lentils (and rice, if using) are soft and fully tender — about 30–45 minutes, or longer if needed.
- A longer simmer allows the flavours to deepen and the texture to become beautifully thick and comforting.
- Stir occasionally and add extra water or broth if the soup becomes too thick for your liking.
- If using spinach or kale, stir it in at the very end and let it wilt.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Nourishing Nutrition Notes
- Lentils are rich in plant protein, iron, folate, and fibre, supporting steady energy, blood sugar balance, and gut health.
- Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic provide antioxidants and phytonutrients that gently support detoxification and immune resilience.
- Tomatoes offer lycopene, a powerful antioxidant linked to cellular protection.
- Brown rice (optional) adds grounding, slow-burn carbohydrates that nourish the nervous system and make this soup extra satisfying — perfect for colder days or when you need something more substantial.
- Long, slow simmering makes this soup easier to digest and allows flavours to fully develop, creating comfort on both a physical and emotional level.
This is food that says: you’re safe, you’re nourished, and you don’t need to rush.
