This Spicy Tomato Soup is one of my favourite soups. It's so easy to make and ready in 3o minutes! Perfect for lunch or a light dinner. Just serve with some homemade soda bread for a satisfying tasty meal.
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Soups are my go-to lunch when the weather turns cooler. They are so easy to make, and if made right, can fill you up until dinner. I have a few favourites that I make regularly and this Spicy Tomato Soup is one of them. My easy vegetable soup is another favourite that I make a lot.
I think that a good soup should make you feel like you have just had a big warm hug. This soup does exactly that. With warming spices and a little kick from the dried red chilli flakes, this soup will definitely keep you warm and toasty. And all you need are some simple store cupboard ingredients to make it.
👩🍳Why This Recipe Works
- Those warming spices - they add so much flavour to this soup.
- Made with store cupboard ingredients - no need for fancy ingredients for this soup, you probably have everything in your kitchen right now!
- Dried red lentils - a great budget-friendly ingredient perfect for making soups filling and healthy.
📝What You'll Need
🥣How To Make It
This is just a quick visual guide. Please find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
Step by step instructions.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot and cook until soft.
- Add the spices, herbs, garlic and the tomato puree (paste) and cook for a minute.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes.
- Pour in the stock then add the lentils and the bay leaves. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
📋 Variations and Substitutions
- Stock - I used two vegetable stock cubes to make the stock for this soup. You can use a store-bought ready-made stock or a homemade stock. I have also used vegetable bouillion to make this.
- Red Lentils - Dried red lentils work best in this soup, however, you could use chickpeas or cannellini beans if you wish. If you do add beans or chickpeas then do not blend this soup.
- Vegetables - This is a great soup for adding in veggies, spinach or kale works really well in this too.
- Spices - We love the heat of this sauce but if you prefer less heat then omit the cayenne pepper. If you are serving this to young children then I would also omit the red chilli flakes.
👩🍳Top Tips
- Choose good quality canned tomatoes - tomatoes are the star of the show here so I recommend buying a good quality brand of canned tomatoes if you can.
- Don't use a strong stock - a strong stock will overpower the soup. If you buy a store-bought stock I would dilute it by adding a half a cup of water to it.
- Add a pinch of sugar - this will help balance the soup and take the edge off the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Add balsamic vinegar - if you don't want to add sugar then add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar instead.
- To blend or not to blend? I like this soup blended but it works really well without being blended too. It's totally a preference thing.
FAQs
Yes, you can. Leave the soup to cool then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Place in the freezer. If you use a freezer bag make sure to squeeze out any air in the bag before you freeze it. Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight then reheat on the hob until the soup is piping hot.
Any leftovers should be allowed to cool then stored in the fridge. They will keep for 2 - 3 days. Make sure to reheat the soup on the hob until it is piping hot.
Yes, you can make this 2 or 3 days ahead, just keep it covered in the fridge once cooled. You can also freeze it if you need to.
More Soups You'll Love
We love soup, here are some of our favourites! My Spicy Cauliflower Soup is rich and creamy and vegan! My Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup is warmly spiced and so easy to make. It's really filling and so tasty. My Carrot and Lentil Soup is one of the most popular soup recipes on my blog and is one of my favourites. Another favourite of mine is my Spicy Vegetable Soup is packed with vegetables and so tasty!
Spicy Tomato Soup with Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large brown onion (180g or 1 ½cups of the chopped onion) finely chopped
- 1 large carrot (70g or ½ a cup of the chopped carrot) peeled then chopped
- 1 stalk of celery (⅓ of a cup of chopped celery) finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- A small handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves removed and the stems finely chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree (paste)
- 1 400g / 14.5oz can of chopped (diced) tomatoes
- 1 litre / 4 cups of vegetable stock made with 2 stock cubes
- 150 g 1 cup of dried red lentils
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot and cook for 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables occasionally.
- Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon of dried red chilli flakes, ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, ½ a teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 level teaspoon of ground cumin and the chopped coriander (cilantro) stems to the onion mixture and stir well.Cook for a minute then add a heaped tablespoon of tomato puree and stir it into the vegetables.
- Now pour in the chopped tomatoes and the vegetable stock and stir well, then add the lentils to the pan. Stir well again.Add the bay leaf and season with the salt and black pepper.Simmer for 20 minutes or until the red lentils are cooked.Stir in the chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves now.Remove the bay leaf.You can now blend the soup if you wish. I use a handheld blender to blend the soup.Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and a scatter of chopped coriander(cilantro) leaves.
Notes
- Stock - I used two vegetable stock cubes to make the stock for this soup. You can use a store-bought ready-made stock or a homemade stock. However, if you do I recommend diluting that stock by adding half a cup of water to it.
- Red Lentils - Dried red lentils work best in this soup, however, you could use chickpeas or cannellini beans if you wish. Do not blend the soup if you use beans in it.
- Vegetables - This is a great soup for adding in veggies, spinach or kale works really well in this too.
- Spices - If you prefer less heat in your soup then omit the cayenne pepper and reduce the amount of the red chilli flakes. If I was serving this to young children I would also omit the red chilli flakes.
- Nutritional Information - is approximate, it is calculated using an online nutrition tool and is based on one serving of 6. It does not include toppings such as yoghurt.
- Freezing - To freeze the soup do not add the chopped coriander/cilantro leaves. Leave the soup to cool then transfer it to freezer bags, remove any excess air then seal and place in the freezer. The soup will last for 3 months in the freezer. Defrost the soup overnight in the fridge before heating on the hob until piping hot.
- Making ahead - The soup can be made a day or two beforehand. Don't add the coriander/cilantro leaves until you are ready to serve. Store the soup in the fridge once cooled and use within two days.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published on Sep 17, 2015. It has now been updated with new photos, a step by step guide and nutritional information.
Claire Chapman
Had this for dinner tonight. It is absolutely delicious and the tips are really helpful. Thank you!
Michelle Alston
Hi Claire, thanks so much! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
IL
I didn't use the garlic and used fresh off the vine tomatoes and a pepper instead of the tin and cayenne but it was delicious.
allan
Spicy it is . But fine with dollop of yogurt. Lightly blend as I like it textured, not too smooth. Will do again as a tasty winter warmer
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Allan, I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Janet Hughes
So delicious I couldn't stop eating it!!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much, Janet! I'm so glad you liked it x
Jane
We love this soup!
I separate two cups and use the stick blender. Add it back to the rest of the soup and it good to go. Excellent recipe.
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much Jane, I'm so happy to hear that 🙂
Sonal
Such pretty pictures and love how you have explained the recipe in detail with step by step pictures. Beautiful soup. I love soups too.
Alisa Infanti
I love a warm spicy soup in the winter and this one did not disappoint. Delicious!
Kechi
With this winter cold, I'm most definitely making this comforting and satisfying bowl today! I love that you added lentils as well; great combo.
Jacqueline Meldrum
Oh perfect, I love a lentil soup.
Caroline
This soup looks wonderful, such a lovely color and hearty too!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Caroline x
Caitlyn Erhardt
WOW! This soup is so flavorful and I loved the addition of the lentils. Will be making again this winter.
Julie
Did this soup on sunday, it is absolutly delicious! This recipe is a keeper! Thanks Michelle!
Michelle Alston
Hi Julie, I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
I make something like this and it is so wonderfully filling. You're right though, there's so much less salt than the bought variety! 😀
Michelle Alston
Hi Lorraine, yep you can't beat homemade, it's so much better 😉