Tomato Lentil Soup with Manzanilla Olives
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This tomato lentil soup is easy to make and a super cozy vegetarian meal. The lentils are cooked in a rich broth with tomatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, and spices. The soup is finished with a bit of spinach, a splash of cream, and some delicious Manzanilla olives.
You’re looking at one of my all-time favorite vegetarian soup recipes. It’s the kind of soup I make when I want something cozy and satisfying, but also full of big, interesting flavor.
The broth is rich and dreamy, with just a slight smokiness from paprika and a savory, almost briny depth from the Manzanilla olives. The tender lentils soak up all that goodness and make the soup hearty enough to count as dinner — no sides required.
I almost always serve soup with a slice of buttered bread or garlic bread, but this one is so full and flavorful that I’m perfectly happy with a big bowl on its own. It’s comforting and the kind of recipe I find myself coming back to again and again.
Also, be sure to check out my two other vegetarian lentil soup recipes: coconut red lentil peanut soup, a hearty one-pot meal, and my coconut lentil soup with ginger kale.
Store, freeze, and reheat
Store: This soup keeps well for at least 5 days in your fridge, making it ideal for meal prep. Make a pot of this creamy vegetarian lentil soup tonight and enjoy the leftovers for lunch this week!
Freeze: You can freeze this olive soup for up to three months. Let it cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. Note: it will thicken, and the lentils will become extra soft. Simply add a little more stock when reheating.
Reheat: I like to reheat this in a pot on the stovetop, but a microwave works well, too.
Tomato Lentil Soup with Olives Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 carrots (minced)
- 2 stalks celery (minced)
- 2 teaspoons EACH: thyme, oregano, and smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 6 cups vegetable stock (can use chicken stock)
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3 ounces chopped fresh spinach (or baby spinach leaves)
- 1 cup chopped Manzanilla olives
- ½ cup cream (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let it cook until it softens, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery to the pot and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Mix in the thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 2 teaspoons EACH: thyme, oregano, and smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- Add the lentils, stock, and tomatoes to the pot and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.1 cup brown lentils, 6 cups vegetable stock, 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- Add the spinach, Manzanilla olives, and if using, the cream and stir until the spinach wilts.3 ounces chopped fresh spinach, 1 cup chopped Manzanilla olives, ½ cup cream
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Nutrition
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The best lentil soup I’ve had!
The best pot of soup I have ever made! I didn’t have olives but added in chickpeas in their place until grocery shopping day for some olives, excited to try it that way too. Thank you so much, this will be a weekly family meal!
Pretty sure this exact soup was what Eve and Gwen Stefani were saying about in “Let me blow ya mind”. WOW. so much flavour, and so filling! I followed the recipe to a T and even my picky meat-loving significant other loved it.
Having a really wet miserable day here in Ireland so I have this soup on boiling at the moment. Haven’t tasted yet but at 6 degrees outside I hope that it will hit the spot for lunch time.
Wonderful! Made as written and it was delicious. The first recipe I’ve made from your site and certainly not the last!!
Can I use frozen spinach, or should I stick with fresh?
I would stick with fresh. 🙂
This recipe looks great, so I plan to make it. Are the spices called for dried or fresh? Thank you!
I use dried!
Hi Kristen, is this canned lentils or packet ones?
Dried lentils!
Found this on instagram and liked it a lot! It’s definitely a salty soup because of the olives, so I’d almost recommend using a low-sodium broth, or not adding salt with the other spices. Other than that, I really enjoyed it.
I followed this recipe exactly as written…my family loved it!!! I will definitely be adding this to our meal rotations.
I make a lot of vegetarian soups, and this is our new favorite! It’s beautifully spiced. And don’t skip the olives—they make the dish!
I would definitely use low sodium stock and tomatoes and leave out the 1 tsp of salt until you can taste it with the olives. I love salt and this was far too salty for me. Otherwise the flavors were great.
I made this recipe today. I saved it and was really looking forward to it. I am very happy I made it. I am a pretty big meat eater, but this recipe – I don’t miss it. I had everything on hand and usually do with the ingredients listed. I am not a fan of olives, so I put in some capers. This soup is great without the cream. I did add some in, but I don’t think I would have missed it. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for an easy and affordable recipe. Much appreciated!
Reheated this from frozen today. I can attest it does freeze well. I will be making this again soon. So good!
This looks amazing! Are the thyme and oregano dried or fresh?
I use dried, but fresh would work, too. Fresh herbs are not as potent so you’ll want to use 2 tablespoons of each instead. 🙂
Thanks for the response! We made it tonight and it was delicious! The olives add such a tangy flavor. Kids asked for seconds, which is always a bonus!
looks delish, do you think you could use cashew cream in place of dairy cream?
Yes I think that would work!
Would coconut cream also work? We are dairy free in this house, but gimme ALLLL the olives.
I would suggest using cashew cream instead as I’m not sure the flavor of coconut would work in this recipe. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of cashew butter to ½ cup of water and add that to the pot. It will thicken as it cooks. 🙂
Hi. Can I substitute with black olives instead?
That should work. Just know that manzanilla olives are quite mild so you’ll want to opt for a different mild-flavored black olive. Hojiblancas would be a good choice!