Hearty Lentil Soup Recipe: The Ultimate Budget-Friendly Comfort Food That Actually Fills You Up
Have you ever stood in the grocery store, calculator in hand, wondering how to feed your family something nutritious without breaking the bank?
I’ve been there countless times.
During my early days building EatHealthier.co.uk, I lived on exactly this hearty lentil soup for weeks when money was impossibly tight.
What started as desperation cooking became my go-to recipe for proving that eating well doesn’t require a hefty budget.
This isn’t just another soup recipe.
It’s your answer to expensive protein, boring vegetables, and the myth that healthy food costs more.
KEY INFO
Total Cost: £4.50-£6 for entire batch (6 generous servings)
Cost Per Portion: £0.75-£1 per serving
Cost Breakdown Per Portion:
– Lentils: £0.19
– Onion: £0.11
– Carrots: £0.13
– Celery: £0.08
– Garlic: £0.04
– Tinned tomatoes: £0.15
– Stock: £0.23
– Olive oil: £0.08
– Seasonings: £0.05
– Greens: £0.11
– Lemon: £0.08
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Dead simple (perfect for beginners)
Dietary tags: Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free
Price level: Very inexpensive – this is poverty cooking that tastes like luxury
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Essential tools:
– Large soup pot or Dutch oven
– Sharp knife
– Chopping board
– Wooden spoon
– Ladle
Cheaper alternatives:
– Any large, heavy-bottomed saucepan instead of Dutch oven
– Potato masher for partial blending (instead of expensive immersion blender)
– Large fork for mashing garlic (instead of garlic press)
INGREDIENTS
Listed in order of use
Base vegetables:
– 2 tbsp olive oil (30ml) (or use water for oil-free)
– 1 large onion, diced (200g/7oz)
– 2 medium carrots, diced (150g/5oz) (parsnips work too)
– 2 celery stalks, diced (100g/3.5oz) (skip if budget’s tight)
– 4 garlic cloves, minced
Main ingredients:
– 300g (1½ cups) brown or green lentils, rinsed (never red lentils – they turn to mush)
– 400g tin chopped tomatoes (or 3 fresh tomatoes, diced)
– 1.5L (6 cups) vegetable stock (chicken stock works, or just use water with extra seasoning)
– 150g (5oz) baby potatoes, diced (optional but filling)
Seasonings:
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– 1 tsp paprika (smoked paprika if you’ve got it)
– 1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)
– 1 bay leaf (if you have one)
– Salt and black pepper to taste
– Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Finishing touches:
– 2 large handfuls spinach or kale, roughly chopped (frozen spinach works fine)
– Juice of ½ lemon (or 1 tbsp vinegar)
– Fresh parsley, chopped (only if you’ve got it)
METHOD
- Get your base going.
Heat oil in your largest pot over medium heat.
Add onion, carrots, and celery.
Cook for 6-8 minutes until vegetables start softening and onion looks translucent. - Build the flavour.
Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and thyme.
Stir constantly for 1 minute until fragrant.
Don’t let the garlic burn. - Add the bulk.
Tip in lentils, tomatoes, potatoes (if using), and bay leaf.
Pour in stock until everything’s covered by 2-3cm of liquid. - Bring to the boil, then simmer.
Bring to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce heat to low.
Simmer gently for 25-35 minutes until lentils are tender but still hold their shape. - Check and adjust.
Taste a few lentils – they should be creamy inside but not mushy.
If soup’s too thin, simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes.
If too thick, add more hot stock. - Make it creamy (optional).
Remove 2 ladles of soup, blend until smooth, then stir back in.
This gives you the perfect chunky-but-creamy texture I love. - Finish strong.
Stir in chopped greens and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
Remove from heat.
Add lemon juice and season generously with salt and pepper.
CRUCIAL TIPS
Money-saving strategies:
• Buy lentils in bulk – they keep for years and cost half the price of packets
• Use water instead of stock, but double your seasoning amounts
• Skip expensive garnishes – the soup’s delicious without them
• Make double and freeze half for instant future meals
Success secrets:
• Don’t rush the vegetable base – those 6-8 minutes build serious flavour
• Taste constantly – lentil soup needs more seasoning than you think
• Add acid at the end – lemon juice transforms this from good to incredible
• Let it rest – soup tastes even better after 10 minutes off the heat
Storage magic:
• Keeps 5 days in fridge – flavours actually improve
• Freezes beautifully for 3 months
• Add extra liquid when reheating – lentils absorb moisture
Scaling secrets:
• Double everything except salt – taste and adjust instead
• Triple recipe fits in most large pots
• Single-serving version works in a small saucepan
Avoid these mistakes:
• Using red lentils (they disintegrate completely)
• Oversalting early (lentils absorb salt as they cook)
• Boiling hard instead of simmering (makes lentils tough)
• Forgetting the acid finish (makes soup taste flat)
Brilliant variations:
• Add diced bacon or sausage with the vegetables for meat-lovers
• Throw in sweet potato or butternut squash for extra sweetness
• Use coconut milk instead of some stock for creamy richness
• Add curry powder and ginger for an Indian-inspired version
I’ve served this soup to food snobs who’ve asked for the recipe, and to broke students who’ve thanked me for keeping them fed.
It proves that the best comfort food doesn’t need to cost a fortune – it just needs to be made with care.
When I’m testing expensive recipes for EatHealthier.co.uk, I always come back to this lentil soup.
It reminds me that truly satisfying food comes from understanding your ingredients, not from spending more money.
Worth every penny?
Absolutely – though thankfully, there aren’t many pennies involved.
