This Spicy Lentil Soup with chipotles is a warm & comforting hearty soup that’s perfect for chilly Fall days! Make this easy soup recipe on the stove or in your slow cooker.
Table of Contents
This Spiced Lentil Soup is perfect to make ahead and then pack for lunches during the week.
Bonus?
Should you choose to go the slow cooker route, you can just pile all the yummy ingredients into your crockpot in the morning and you’ll come home to this beautiful, smoky chipotle lentil soup that’s just perfect for these chilly fall evenings that we’ve been having lately.
It’s warm and comforting and requires nothing from you after you come home from a long day at work… Meaning that all you have to do is pour the wine and decide which episode of Real Housewives you want to enjoy while slurping up this soup…
Ingredients needed
- Lentils – Red, brown or green will work.
- Celery + Carrots
- Onion + Garlic
- Canned Tomatoes – I prefer to use petite diced tomatoes.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – You’ll find these in the Mexican foods aisle in small cans.
- Vegetable Broth – Or bone broth or chicken stock.
- Cumin + Oregano
- Salt + Pepper
- Cilantro
- Lime Juice
- Toppings – Avocado, sour cream, cilantro, jalapenos, cheese
How to make it
Stove top directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin and oregano, and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the lentils chipotles and adobo sauce, vegetable broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until lentils are tender, 30-35 minutes.
- Transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and let cool for about 15 minutes. Puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into pot. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Enjoy!
Slow cooker directions
- Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, lentils, cumin, oregano and chipotle peppers to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and adobo sauce.
- Cook on LOW until the lentils are tender, 8-10 hours. Or, on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- Transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and let cool for about 15 minutes. Puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Enjoy!
How to make ahead and store
To Store: Store in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To Reheat: Gently reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until hot. You can also microwave the leftovers.
To Freeze: Store in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Erin’s wine pairings
- Tempranillo, Zinfandel, and Malbec will stand up to the smoky heat in this lentil soup.
More slow cooker recipes
More soup recipes
More lentil recipes
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Full Recipe
Spicy Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (optional)
- Large Pot (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (if making on the stove)
- 2 cups lentils (red, brown or green, rinsed)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1/2 yellow onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1-2 chipotle peppers (seeded & minced, plus 3 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can)
- 1 quart vegetable broth (or chicken stock or bone broth)
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
For Topping
Instructions
Stove Top
- Heat the 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the 1/2 yellow onion, 2 stalks celery and 2 carrots, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.Add the 3 cloves garlic , 1 Tablespoon cumin and 2 teaspoons dried oregano, and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the 2 cups lentils, 1-2 chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, 1 quart vegetable broth, water and 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until lentils are tender, 30-35 minutes.
- For a smoother soup, transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into pot.
- Stir in the 2 Tablespoons lime juice and 1/4 cup minced cilantro. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, lentils, cumin, oregano and chipotle peppers and adobo sauce to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, water and diced tomatoes.
- Cook on LOW until the lentils are tender, 8-10 hours. Or, on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- For a smoother soup, transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker.
- Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
- To Store: Store in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat: Gently reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until hot. You can also microwave the leftovers.
- To Freeze: Store in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2017. It was updated in 2022 to add new photographs. The recipe for spicy lentil soup remains the same. Enjoy!
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