Finally a bowl of lentil soup with a nice thin broth, yet one that’s hearty and filling enough to fight the cold weather chills! Loaded with good-for-you vegetables, and prepared with a savoury vegetable broth, this freezer-friendly soup is simply delicious!

COLD WEATHER LENTIL SOUP
I’m back with another soup recipe after what seems like an eternity! Even though I never shy away from turning on a burner or heating up the oven in the middle of summer, it seems that this past summer got away from me without any soup being made. The last soup recipe that I published was my Chunky Vegetable and Spinach Soup, and that was back in February! Now that the cold weather has set in, I’m about to make up for lost time and get my soup game on with this lentil soup – who’s with me?
Make your own online recipe box!
Click the in the lower right corner of your screen
& follow the quick and easy instructions!
In our home, canned lentils are often used to make soups, stews, and salads more hearty. In fact, our pantry is often stocked with canned legumes to make life easier. Sometimes, I’ll put in the effort to soak dried beans, but in most cases, we use canned.
Cold Weather Lentil Soup has a lot of lentils, but it’s not all about those. This soup is loaded with other good-for-you ingredients as well. There are carrots, celery, potatoes, and green beans. I’ve paired those things with aromatics like onion and garlic. In the end, this soup is hearty like a stew, but has enough broth to keep it a soup!

ARE THERE ANY SHORTCUTS?
Hmmm… I’m not a huge fan of shortcuts in the kitchen other than using canned beans, lentils, or tomatoes, etc. I find that some shortcuts greatly change the taste of the finished dish. For example, I know you can buy diced onions, celery, and carrots. I know you can buy chopped garlic in jars. You can even buy peeled potatoes in cans! I would not use any of those in this soup.
If you really need to save some time, why not do your prep the day before or the morning of? I like to peel and chop veggies and store them separately in either containers with lids or small resealable sandwich bags. Just keep them in the fridge.
Potatoes will darken and lose their bright white colour if you peel and chop them ahead of time. You can do so, but you can’t just place them in a container and toss them in the fridge. Rinse the chopped potatoes under cold running water and transfer to a food-safe bowl. Cover with cold water; place a lid on the bowl, and place in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE
The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.
- Olive Oil
- Onion – I use yellow, white, and sweet onions interchangeably. Either of them will do just fine.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic whenever possible. Even the pre-minced stuff in the jars is better than garlic powder or granulated garlic in this recipe.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Vegetable Stock – If you are using store-bought, use low sodium. Some of them can be overly salty!
- Dark Soy Sauce – This adds flavour and colour.
- Potatoes – You can use white or yellow flesh potatoes. Peel and dice them.
- Lentils – I’m using canned lentils, but you can cook dried lentils and use them in this soup recipe as well.
- Peas – I’m using frozen peas.
- Seasonings – Salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Parsley – For freshness, colour, and garnish.
HOW TO MAKE COLD WEATHER LENTIL SOUP
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid, add the olive oil, onions, and salt. Over medium heat, saute the onions until just translucent – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir into the onions. Saute for 2 minutes. Next, add the carrots, celery, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, and ground black pepper. Stir together. Cook the vegetables, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable stock, stir, and place the lid on the pot. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes; stir to incorporate, cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes. Next, add the lentils and dark soy sauce. Stir. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Lastly, remove the bay leaves and add the green peas. Stir into the soup and turn off the heat. Cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Remove the lid. Stir the soup and ladle into bowls. Garnish and serve with crusty bread.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SUBSTITUTIONS
There are a number of ingredients in this recipe that can be substituted. Of course, the taste will change with some substitutions, but for the most part, you’ll still have a delicious soup. Let’s go through them one by one:
- olive oil – basically any oil will do (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc.)
- white onion – use yellow onion or even red onion if needed
- garlic – you can add garlic powder instead (1/2 teaspoon) or leave it out completely
- carrots – try using parsnips or squash
- celery – that’s a tough one; you can use bok choi or jicama, but I would leave it out
- bay leaves – for each bay leaf, use 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
- rosemary – equal amounts of dried thyme, tarragon, or savoury
- thyme – equal amounts of savoury, marjoram, or oregano
- vegetable stock – you can use beef or chicken stock
- dark soy sauce – use regular, light, or reduced-sodium soy sauce
- potatoes – consider using turnip, rutabaga, or parsnips
- lentils – yellow split peas would make a great substitute, but make sure they are soaked until soft first
- green peas – use frozen corn

WHERE’S THE PROTEIN?
Well, Dear Reader, lentils have a great deal of protein in them, so I would not be too worried about it. If you need to add more protein to this recipe, you certainly can! To keep things easy, I would purchase a rotisserie chicken and allow it to cool. Remove the skin and discard. Remove the meat from the bones and roughly chop it. Add it to the soup at the same time you add the lentils and soy sauce.
Now, here we are at the end of our Cold Weather Lentil Soup chat. How do you feel about this soup now? We’ve talked about many substitution options, and we’ve talked about how to add protein if you need more or if you’re not a fan of vegetarian soups. We’ve also talked about how to do a little bit of the prep ahead of time, making sure that the prepped veggies remain packaged in a way that will keep them fresh for when the time comes to make the soup.
Even though this a very hearty and filling soup, I’d be doing you a disservice if I led you to believe that bread should not be served with it. We love soups in the cooler months, and nearly 100% of the time, our bowls of piping hot soup come with a few slices of bread. In this case, it’s thinly sliced baguette. The softness of the bread soaks up the broth very well. The crust on the bread remains chewy and provides texture and weight. Trust me, Dear Reader, you’re going to love Cold Weather Lentil Soup!

QUESTIONS?
If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!
Do You Like This Recipe?
You should consider trying these other delicious recipes too!





Cold Weather Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup white onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 4 cups diced peeled potatoes
- 3 cups canned lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- fresh thyme leaves and/or fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid, add the olive oil, onions, and salt. Over medium heat, saute the onions until just translucent – about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir into the onions. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Next, add the carrots, celery, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, and ground black pepper. Stir together. Cook the vegetables, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, stir, and place the lid on the pot. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the potatoes; stir to incorporate, cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Next, add the lentils and dark soy sauce. Stir. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Lastly, remove the bay leaves and add the green peas. Stir into the soup and turn off the heat. Cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the lid. Stir the soup and ladle into bowls. Garnish and serve with crusty bread.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Upload a photo and tag me so that I can see it!

Alisa Infanti says
The broth of this soup is delicious. Warmed me right up!
Pavani says
What a comforting bowl of soup that is – so perfect for this chilly weather. It looks very hearty with all the chunky vegetables – yumm!!
Danielle says
I can officially declare that this soup is one of the best ways to warm up. And I so much agree about shortcuts when making it – it tastes and feels so much better when everything is prepared on your own!
Leanne says
I’ve been on such a soup kick lately but I haven’t made a lentil soup in such a long time. I had forgotten how hearty they are and a great source of protein. Thanks for the reminder! I’m going to need to add this soup to the list to try. I’m loving how chunky it is, and of course, bread on the side is a must. All together it makes a hearty dinner!
Debra says
This soup was fantastic! I like a more brothy soup too so this was perfect. I did everything as directed except no rosemary and 2cups frozen mixed vegetables for the carrots and peas. I’m going to use this same recipe to make barley vegetable soup next time. Thank you for a recipe that works!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Debra! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂