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 little spinach, a splash of cream, and some delicious Manzanilla olives.
This post is sponsored by European Olives.
Tomato Lentil Soup
You're looking at one of our favorite vegetarian soup recipes.
The flavor is rich and dreamy, with a hint of smokiness from the paprika and an umami bite from the Manzanilla olives.
Tender lentils make this soup hearty enough to call dinner.
We usually like to serve soup with a slice of buttered bread on the side, but this one is so rich and filling that it makes a meal all on its own.
Why we love European olives
The Manzanilla olives we use in this recipe are stuffed with pimientos, buttery soft, and have the most beautiful, delicate flavor.
They're also incredibly versatile and we love snacking on them as much as we love cooking with them. It's a good thing they're so healthy!
Did you know that in Canada, one out of every two olives eaten comes from Spain, including these Manzanilla olives used in this tomato lentil soup recipe?
How to make tomato lentil soup
Making tomato lentil soup is very easy. You'll need to set aside about one hour, but most of that time is hands-off while you let the lentils cook.
- SautƩ minced onion, garlic, celery, and carrots until they begin to caramelize.
- Add the spices to the veggies and cook them for a moment to bring out their flavor.
- Add the lentils, stock, and canned diced tomatoes to the pot and simmer until the lentils are nice and soft.
- Now stir in a little cream, some spinach, and the best part, chopped Manzanilla olives.
How long does tomato lentil soup last?
This soup keeps well for at least 5 days in your fridge making it ideal for meal-prep.
Make a pot of tomato lentil soup tonight and enjoy the leftovers for lunch this week!
Does this soup recipe freeze well?
Yes, this tomato lentil soup can easily be frozen. Simply let it cool completely before transfrering it to a freezer-safe container.
It will keep well for up to three months in your freezer.
Note: it will thicken and the lentils will become extra soft. Simply add a little more stock when you reheat it.
Popular vegetarian soup recipes
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
- Ā½ 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.Ā2 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.Ā
- Add the spinach, Manzanilla olives, and if using, the cream and stir until the spinach wilts.Ā3 ounces chopped fresh spinach, 1 cup chopped Manzanilla olives, Ā½ cup cream
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Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
If you love soup as much as we do, make sure to check out all of our soup recipes!
So easy to make and it tasted sensational.
Delicious! Ā Used beef stock.Ā
Do you need to soak the lentils first?
We don’t soak them. š
This soup is SO flavourful and delicious. Ā Definitely a family favourite!!!
Thanks for posting the amounts of ingredients right along with the instructions; very helpful and clever too. Delicious soup with lots of flavor. Definitely surprised to see a comment that the soup was bland. Quality and “fresh” (nothing older than 6 month) spices along with a good stock are a must. Thanks again.
Very simple and yummy recipe. However both my husband and I thought it was a littleĀ bland for our taste. (Which is easy, as weāre both herb/spice enthusiasts.) I definitely want to make again but am wondering how we might āupā the flavor? Add more of each herb? Throw in new ingredients (like onion or garlic powder)? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
If you eat meat then I would recommend using bone broth. It’s the best way to add depth to your soup recipes. You can also add additional salt – and you may need it if the stock you’re using isn’t salted. Or you could try a little extra herbs!
This soup was divine. The complexity of flavor was even better the next day!! Will definitely be making this again!
Simple and delicious lentil soup recipe. I had a bunch of cherry tomatoes I needed to use so I roasted them along with the garlic and put them in the soup. We are dairy free so I tried one bowl with a dollop of dairy free sour cream. That was really good too.Ā
Going to try this next week, as I have most of the ingredients. Would it be okay to use Kalamata Black Olives. I bought a jar for another recipe, and am trying to get rid of them haha
That should work fine!
This soup is AMAZING! Iād serve this to company!Ā
Can you use red lentils instead of brown?
Yes, but you’ll need to reduce the cooking time to 20-30 minutes. š
One of my favourites!Ā
This was one one of the best soups I ever made!
I used chicken-less vegan broth & coconut milk in place of the heavy creamā¦this soup was DIVINE!!
OMG I love how you wrote this recipe with the ingredients IN the instructions. I hate scrolling back and forth between the ingredient list and instructions. Aaaand I canāt wait to try this recipe. Maybe with a little shredded rotisserie chicken.Ā
I’m so happy to hear that you find that helpful! It’s something we just added to the site. š
Agreed! The ingredients and amounts IN the recipe steps is a pro move and makes it so much easier! Thank you for doing that, and this delicious recipe š
Delicious Ā SautĆ©ed with vegetable stock instead of oil. Used oat milk instead of cream. Turned out tasty!
And it freezes well too!