Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil, and Vegetable Soup

This warming, satisfying lentil and vegetable soup comes together in just 30 minutes.

This soup recipe is one of Jennifer Segal's most popular. Courtesy of Jennifer Segal

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For a vegetarian recipe made almost entirely from pantry staples (and I mean true staples, not staples from some well-stocked dream kitchen), this vegetable soup is surprisingly delicious. It’s thickened by puréeing a portion of the soup and then stirring it back into the pot (a technique I also use in other veggie and bean soups like pasta e fagioli and mulligatawny). This method gives the soup a wonderfully rich and hearty texture without relying on heavy cream or flour. The soup takes just 30 minutes to come together, start to finish, yet tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, and it’s good for you, too. For the cooked vegetables, feel free to use any quick-cooking, frozen, or leftover vegetables you have on hand. The recipe is extremely flexible and very hearty!

What You’ll Need to Make Chickpea, Lentil and Vegetable soup