Chipotle Red Lentil Potato Soup
This smoky Chipotle Red Lentil Potato Soup is cozy, hearty and uses very basic pantry ingredients. Budget friendly, easy and quick to make.
I get asked a lot about budget-friendly meals. Meals like this red lentil potato soup are so important because I don’t think I would have survived my college years without them. These lentils are a constant go to because they are cheap, hearty and come together very quickly.
And, you can customize it more to meet your needs and change up flavors. This version relies on hearty red lentils mixed with smoky chipotle peppers to give you the ultimate creamy comfort meal.
Why You’ll Love This Hearty Meal
- This meal is budget friendly. It uses very basic pantry ingredients to make this cheap and fuss free.
- It’s easy to prep. You just need to chop up your onions and chipotle peppers. Everything else can be thrown into the pot to cook and you’re pretty much done.
- A nourishing and hearty soup. Loaded with soluble fiber, potassium, plant-protein, iron and folate to name a few.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Red Lentils: These type of lentils do not require soaking and cook up very quickly. For notes regarding using other lentils, see the frequently asked questions section.
- Potatoes: Helps make this soup extra hearty by adding more complex carbohydrates. You can try this with sweet potato, but note it will change the overall flavor of the soup.
- Chipotle Peppers: We want canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They make this soup especially smoky and flavorful. Just note, these are spicy, you may wish to cut them and remove the seeds to help reduce the intensity of the spice.
- Spices and Aromatics: To make this soup, super easy, you can use all dry spices. We are going to be focusing on the smoky flavors in this soup, so using smoked paprika, oregano and cumin along with some garlic and onion powder, will help to compliment the smoky flavors. Fresh garlic does bring out a lot of great flavor in this soup, so if you don’t mind chopping, I highly recommend it.
- Lime Juice: I can’t make a dish with smoky chipotle flavors without it. It helps brighten the dish a lot. However, if you don’t have a lime, feel free to also use a splash of white or apple cider vinegar.
How to Make Chipotle Red Lentil Potato Soup
Start by sautéing your onions until they have softened. Add in your garlic, and cook until it is fragrant. Toss in your spices and any additional aromatics and continue to stir into the onions until coated.
Stir in the chipotle peppers and potatoes. Sauté for a few minutes until coated and fragrant, then pour in the lentils and vegetable broth.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and partially cover the pan, allowing the lentils to cook until softened. Stir in your lime juice and spinach, and once your spinach has fully wilted, adjust your salt and pepper to taste.
Tips for the Perfect Creamy Lentils
- Rinse your red lentils to ensure that you remove any excess debris before cooking them. No need to soak, they will cook very quickly.
- For the best texture, don’t overcook the red lentils. The red lentils will slightly break down as they soften, which will help thicken the soup. Overcooking the red lentils will make them lose their shape and become mush. Cooking them between 13-15 minutes is enough time to do this.
- If you are not a fan of heat, cut your chipotle pepper in half and remove the seeds. You can also leave out the chipotle pepper entirely and use more smoked paprika. I would use about 1 tablespoon smoked paprika to replace the chipotle peppers if needed.
- Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding more water or vegetable broth. Make this soup as thick or thin as you like. This is especially true as your lentils will continue to thicken as it sits and cools. If adding more liquid, just make sure to adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Customize your veggies. Feel free to add additional veggies to sauté into the soup. Peppers, peas, carrots, or celery can all work really well in this preparation to bulk it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
These lentils are perfect for meal prep for the week. Once you are done cooking them, allow the lentils to completely cool. Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze, store the cooled soup into smaller individual containers and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like storing in smaller containers so that you can just take out what you need of the soup from the freezer and thaw it out a lot faster.
For the best texture, use red lentils. They break down quickly to thicken the soup and also cook very quickly. You can make this recipe with green lentils, just note that you will need to cook the lentils longer. Green lentils do not break down as much as red lentils do, so your soup will be more loose and less creamy than if you made it with red lentils.
Your classic white potato is actually a lot more nutritious than a lot of us give it credit for. A lot of times, the reason many might classify it as unhealthy is because it is often associated with things like fries. From a nutrition perspective, potatoes cooked with non-frying cooking methods provide fiber, potassium, and iron and surprisingly a lot of vitamin C.
How to Serve
You can serve this meal on it’s own as it contains complex carbs from the potatoes, a good amount of protein from the lentils. And of course, mix in the vegetables that you like to help bulk it up more.
You can also serve this soup with some rice and avocado if you want to really make this nice and hearty. It’s also especially good with a dollop of plain plant based yogurt.
More Budget Friendly Vegan Recipes
- Quick Sautéed Lentils with Hummus and Chili Oil
- Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
- Black Bean Tacos with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Hummus Nourish Bowl
- Chipotle Orange Chickpeas
- Cilantro Lime Chickpeas
Chipotle Lentil Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This smoky Chipotle Red Lentil Potato Soup is cozy, hearty and uses very basic pantry ingredients. Budget friendly, easy and quick to make.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1–2 medium potatoes, diced
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely diced or 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed well
- 4 cups vegetable broth or water
- Juice of one lime
- 2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup, optional
- 2 cups spinach, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a preheated large skillet, add in your oil and warm it through. Then, add your onion and sauté with a pinch of salt until the onions have softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add in your garlic and sauté until fragrant, then add in the onion powder, cumin, and oregano and sauté to coat the onions.
- Stir in the potatoes, then add in the chipotle peppers and sauté again for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the lentils and vegetable broth, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 13-15 minutes or until the red lentils have cooked through.
- Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice along with the spinach and stir into the soup until the spinach has wilted.
- Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. If the soup tastes acidic, feel free to add a touch of sugar or maple syrup to help balance out the sharpness.
Notes
Rinse your red lentils to ensure that you remove any excess debris before cooking them.
No need to soak your lentils, they will cook very quickly.
For the best texture, don’t overcook the red lentils. Cooking them between 13-15 minutes should be enough without them turning to mush.
If you are not a fan of heat, cut your chipotle pepper in half and remove the seeds. You can also leave out the chipotle pepper entirely and use more smoked paprika. I would use about 1 tablespoon smoked paprika to replace the chipotle peppers if needed.
Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding more water or vegetable broth as needed. If adding more liquid, just make sure to adjust the seasonings to taste.
Customize your veggies. Feel free to add additional veggies to sauté into the soup. Peppers, peas, carrots, or celery can all work really well in this preparation to bulk it up.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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