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!
could you make this in the slow cooker?
While I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker, I think that it would work great. I would follow step 1 and then add everything to your slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
Can I use my insta pot?
You sure can!
Delicious! I’m not sensitive to heat in foods that much but I might only do 1/2 tsp of pepper next time….there is a bite. And there will be a next time!
I jut did this recipe. Is absolutely delicious š.
Delicious! I followed your exact recipe and it was perfect. Next time I may try using frozen spinach since I usually donāt have fresh spinach on hand.
Thank you for including the ingredient amounts right below the instructionsā¦super helpful. Iāll be adding this to my regular weeknight rotation for sure!
100% scrumptious!Ā
This is such an amazing meal and a really easy to follow recipe. The ingredients are items that I often already have stocked in my pantry and refrigerator so that’s another great thing about this recipe. I served mine with homemade focaccia which paired so well!
Hey I am so excited to make this tonight. Just wondering did you use fresh or dried herbs? šĀ
We used dried in the recipe development. But fresh would be great if you have them!
Filling, savoury, delish! š¤¤ I donāt like olives but followed the recipe to the letter, so I included them, and itās indescribably comfort food. Mixed leftovers with halloumi it complements so well. We are putting this on our remake list š¤¤š¤¤
it’s a very nice recipe thanks for sharing this recipe.
Made this for dinner. Really fancied a vegetarian, wholesome meal. Added a bit of cayenne pepper to add a bit of heat. It was delicious š.
I used chicken broth instead of vegetable and frozen spinach instead of fresh. I also added a slice of chilli pepper. I omitted cream and served it with sour cream on the side. Absolutely delicious! Every one in my family loved it. Will make it again.Ā
I liked reading the comments on this one as they gave me ideas for additions, of course I had my own which were chicken sausage and jarred red peppers, I forgot to put the cream in but will today with the left overs. Ā I used green salad olives stuffed with red peppers and it was very good, I want to use the ones called for, one of these days, to taste the difference. Ā I also topped it off with garlic bread crotons.
It’s a winner for sure!!!!
This soup is fantastic. I used frozen spinach because I happened to have some. I am sure that it would have been even better if I had added cream but I didn’t use any cream and it’s pretty delicious without it. I can’t wait to make this again.
Loved this soup. I replaced the cream with plain Greek yogurt.Ā
Rich and very tasty, one of my favorite soups in cold season.