Cauliflower Lentil Soup

5 from 6 votes

Filling and nourishing, this hearty cauliflower lentil soup is a delicious meatless recipe made with tender cauliflower, nutritious lentils, the magic trio of onion, carrot and celery, tomatoes and spinach cooked in a broth flavored with fresh herbs. So good!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 273.6kcal

Author: Priscilla Lawrence

Equipment

large pot with lid like a Dutch oven
wooden spoon

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ yellow onion finely chopped, about ½ cup
1-2 carrots diced, about ½ cup
2 stalks celery diced, about ½ cup
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper more or less to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary or ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1-2 bay leaves
1 cup dried lentils brown or green
1 14.5 ounces can petite diced tomatoes not drained
8 cups broth low-sodium chicken or vegetable
3-4 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
freshly grated parmesan
chopped parsley optional

Instructions

Prep all the veggies by washing and chopping them. Rinse the lentils under cold water, then set aside.
In a large pot, heat up olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add chopped onion, celery and carrots, reduce heat to medium, and cook stirring often for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
Add the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
Then add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, lentils, tomatoes and broth. Stir everything. Add the bay leaves, whole sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Bring to a low boil, then simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the cauliflower florets, mix it in, bring back to a low boil by turning up heat, then reduce to medium and simmer the soup covered for 20-25 minutes until cauliflower and lentils are cooked thru and tender when poked with a fork, stirring a few times in between.
Uncover the soup, add the spinach and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, until welted.
Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves, thyme and rosemary with a spoon or fork, adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Notes

Spices: feel free to add different spices to your soup. I love to use multi-purpose seasoning mixes for this kind of recipe.
Broth: add a little more broth (or water) if the soup feels too thick to your taste.

*The nutritional values shown in this recipe are approximate for one suggested serving size using the ingredients listed but not including any optional items and may vary per actual preferred portion sizes.

Nutrition