Spinach and Lentil Soup with Mediterranean flavors, made with tender lentils, fresh spinach, spices, and a fresh squeeze of lemon.
I recently had a really tasty spinach lentil soup from Whole Foods. It had wonderful Mediterranean flavors, lemon, cinnamon, cumin and it was so delicious I wanted to recreate it at home.
Since I couldn’t find the exact Whole Foods recipe, I searched online for inspiration and came across a great version from Tori Avey. Her recipe was very close to what I was looking for, so I adapted it by adding ground cinnamon and ground coriander to match the flavors I remembered.
Ingredients for Spinach Lentil Spoup
- Baby spinach
- Carrot – peeled and diced
- Onion – diced
- Lentils – I like using Trader Joe’s steamed lentils because they cut down on cooking time. They’re convenient and work perfectly in this soup.
- Olive oil
- Garlic – minced
- Cumin seeds
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground coriander
- Tomato paste – adds depth and richness
- Lemon
- Water
- Better Than Bouillon – I use the vegetable flavor instead of stock for a quick, flavorful base.
How to Make this Delicious Soup
Start by heating olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and carrot until softened and slightly translucent.
Add the garlic, cumin seeds, cinnamon, and coriander, and cook for another minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook briefly to deepen the flavor.
Add the lentils and lemon juice, stirring to combine.
Pour in the water and stir in the Better Than Bouillon until dissolved.
Add the spinach, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors come together. Don’t forget to skim off any scum that rises to the top for a cleaner broth.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then serve hot.
How to Serve
Serve this rich, savory spinach and lentil soup in your favorite bowl. I sometimes get nostalgic for classic soup bowls with handles and served mine in vintage bowls from Williams-Sonoma.
Enjoy this soup with nice crusty bread, or pair with Watercress and Pickled Beets Salad or Asparagus Orzo Salad.
More Soup Recipes
Spinach Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 lb steamed lentils
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lemon
- 5 cups water
- 2 tsp better than bouillon (I used vegetable flavor)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and carrot until softened and translucent.
- Add garlic, cumin seeds, cinnamon, and coriander. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste and mix well. Add lentils and lemon juice, stirring to combine.
- Pour in water and stir in Better Than Bouillon until dissolved. Add spinach, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Skim off any scum that rises to the top.
- Taste, adjust seasoning if needed, and serve hot.