Healthy Vegan Lentil Soup with Cauliflower and Rice

Today’s delicious and healthy vegan lentil soup gets an addition of cauliflower and brown rice for extra texture, nutrients and fiber. It has quickly become one of my family’s favorite vegan lentil recipes for chilly times of the year. Give this soup a try, and I can guarantee that it will become one of your all-time favorite vegan soup recipes!

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Not long ago Rob and I were returning home late at night after a day trip. This was just a few hours before the entire Gulf Coast area was hit with an ice storm, so the temperature outside was rapidly dropping.

Rob said that he wanted to have some warm soup for lunch the following day. I was surprised by his request because he hardly ever eats soup for lunch, let alone specifically asks for it. He usually prefers sandwiches for lunch – my easy vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe is his all-time favorite.

I promised him to make some kind of soup by lunchtime the following day but realized that we didn’t have a lot of groceries at home since we skipped our usual grocery trip on the weekend.

When I took a look around the house, I found just enough ingredients to make this healthy lentil soup. It turned out to be delicious and easy to make – one of those perfect vegan lentil recipes that make a great lunch and dinner.

That day turned out to be the first snowy day in Southern Alabama in years and years. I saw the snow on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay for the first time since moving to the Gulf Coast area 7.5 years ago!

We had to wait three more days before we were able to go to a grocery store: some of the roads were undrivable because of the ice, and most businesses (including grocery stores) were closed. I had two things to be thankful for:

1. That we live in quiet suburban area that doesn’t get crazy with traffic – things didn’t get nearly as messy for us as they did in Atlanta;

2. That even with what I consider ‘an empty fridge’ I was able to make decent plant-based vegan breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for those three days, including steel-cut oatmeal, blueberry cornmeal muffins, vegan mac and cheese, kidney bean croquettes, Pad Thai, and the delicious vegan lentil and cauliflower soup that I’m featuring today. I knew that my giant stash of dried beans in my pantry would come in handy one day!

By the way, here’s my tutorial on how to cook dried beans from scratch.

As of Thursday and Friday, my town is back to its normal life. The snow is almost all gone (there wasn’t much to begin with), all of the businesses are open, and my fridge is stocked with vegetables for more culinary adventures!

This recipe is one of my 2 year old daughter’s favorite recipes from the blog! See the full list of 15 of my kid friendly vegan recipes that she loves.

Now, back to talking about vegan lentil soup recipes 🙂 To make things more interesting, I added cauliflower and rice. I don’t have anything wrong with a plain lentil soup, but I find that the extra texture of cauliflower and rice is a nice touch here.

I’m not using any oil here to saute vegetables in the first step, but if you aren’t averse to oils, feel free to use them instead of the veggie broth. Honestly, I find that soups don’t lose anything when made with no oils, but it’s ultimately up to you.

For a different take on a “lentil + a vegetable” kind of soup, check out my vegan Instant Pot lentil soup with spinach.

Top your bowl of this lentil and rice soup with some chopped cilantro and diced avocado, and you got yourself a healthy and filling meal complete with protein, healthy fats and carbs, plenty of fiber – and a whole lot of yum 🙂

Looking for more vegan soup recipes? Check out my vegan minestrone and vegan chickpea and shiitake mushroom soup that can be made on stovetop or in the Instant Pot!

This recipe is a part of my roundup of healthy vegan recipes made with easy to find non-perishable plant based ingredients you most likely have in your pantry right now.

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Yield: 6 servings

Kid-friendly Vegan Lentil Soup with Cauliflower and Rice

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This hearty and filling vegan lentil soup is one of my toddler's favorite kid-friendly recipes! A good choice for busy nights because it takes less than an hour to cook. The soup is oil-free, packed with nutrition and fiber, and can easily become the next staple food on your family dinner table!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Equal amounts of brown, red, and black lentils (see note*) to make 1 cup total
• 1 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
• 2 cups cauliflower florets (see note **)
• 8 - 9 cups of vegetable broth - see my easy veggie broth recipe
• Cooking oil, for sauteing vegetables (if using)
• Cooked rice or any other grain, for serving (make sure to use gluten-free grain types if needed)

Spices:

• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp assafetida (optional - omit for gluten-free)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
• Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 2-3 Tbsp of vegetable broth or oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven.
2. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook 3-4 min, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables look soft. Add more broth to prevent sticking if needed.
3. Add cumin, turmeric, paprika and assafetida (if using - omit for gluten-free) to the vegetables. Stir to distribute the spices, cook for 1 minute.
4. Add rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes, and the rest of the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 min, or until the lentils become soft. Stir in salt and pepper.
5. Once the lentils are soft, add cauliflower florets to the pot, cover, and cook the soup for 3 minutes. (Avoid cooking the soup any longer as the cauliflower can turn into mush). Take the pot off the heat, stir in garam masala if using. Let the soup cool for at least 10-15 min before serving.
6. To serve: ladle the soup in individual bowls, top with cooked rice or other grain of choice. Enjoy!

Notes

*If you don't have three different types of lentils available, you can easily use 1 cup of regular, brownish-greenish lentils.

**You can omit cauliflower or replace it with broccoli or spinach if you like.

***Red lentils tend to completely disintegrate in this soup, adding to a hearty texture, so in the end you'll only see brown and black lentils floating in the soup.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through affiliate links on my blog, I receive a very small commission that helps me run this blog, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

• 
  Calphalon Contemporary Hard-Anodized Aluminum Nonstick Cookware, Stock Pot - 8-quart
• 
  Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Classic Red Enamel Dutch Oven (Island Spice Red)
• 
  100% Pure Avocado Oil Spray by Chosen Foods, 4.7 oz, for High-Heat Cooking

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 8gSugar: 22gProtein: 14g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

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Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Alina Zavatsky is a vegan of 11+ years, a passionate blogger, a YouTuber, and a mom. She helps new vegans and their families navigate a vegan diet and lifestyle in a sustainable and enjoyable way. This fall, she will be releasing a new vegan meal planning app designed to make following a vegan diet a breeze for everyone.

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