This easy (vegan!!!) one-pot lentil minestrone soup is crazy flavorful and loaded with healthy veggies. Plan on leftovers if you can because it is totally amazing the next day!
HOLY COW THIS SOUP!!!!
What started out as a fun kitchen experiment with a bag of dried lentils turned into the kind of bowl-licking deliciousness that you literally do a happy dance over.
Especially when you realize there’s enough to squirrel away for the following day!
In fact, I was so excited for the leftovers that I almost didn’t share them.
Not gonna lie, I was bummed when Paul walked in while I was reheating the soup and helped himself to half. Given the opportunity, I would have eaten the whole thing myself!
Clearly I need to make this soup again. STAT.
Lemme at those lentils!!!
Easy One-Pot Lentil Minestrone
There’s a lot I love about this soup.
The flavors, first of all, are so completely magical that I’m having a hard time writing this recipe up right now without running into the kitchen to make another batch.
#TRUESTORY
It’s also a meal prep superstar and can be made in advance to be reheated all week long for fast and cozy comfort food.
You can keep leftover bowls of this baller soup in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for up to a month.
Can I make this soup in a Crock-Pot?
I usually make this lentil soup stove-top in my trusty dutch oven but you can also use your slow cooker if you prefer. I’ll toss both instructions in the recipe card for ya!
Lentil Minestrone
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery ribs
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled, smashed, and minced)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 1 can cannelini beans (15 oz ) drained and rinsed
- 2 cups fresh chopped spinach
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
- warmed bakery baguette for dunking
- freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
- chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Peel and dice onion and carrots. Finely chop celery. Smash and peel garlic, then mince.
- Heat a large dutch oven (or heavy duty pot) to medium-high heat with 2 TBSP oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, carrot, and celery and saute until vegetables are tender, approx. 7 minutes.
- Next add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook an addiitonal minute, stirring constantly.
- Add broth, water, and crushed tomatoes (juices and all) then stir in dried green or brown lentils and bay leaves and bring pot to a boil.
- Once soup is vigorously bubbling, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Set a timer and cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove lid and increase heat to medium. Add pasta and beans and cook unti beans are heated through and pasta is tender, approx. 10 minutes (or longer depending on pasta shape/size used). Remove bay leaves when you come across them stirring the soup.
- Ready to eat? Stir fresh chopped baby spinach into the soup and ladle into bowls. Enjoy piping hot with your choice of optional extras.
- Leftovers can be stored in airtight containers in either the fridge or freezer. This soup is delicious the first day and even better the next!
SLOW COOKER + CROCK POT INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel and dice onion and carrots. Finely chop celery. Smash and peel garlic, then mince. Add vegetables, oil, spices, broth, water, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and dried lentils, to a large slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours or LOW for 9-10 hours, until dried lentils are cooked through and veggies are tender.
- After lentils are tender and cooked through, add beans and pasta. Return the lid to the pot and cook an additional 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente and tender. Remaining cook time will vary on pasta size/shape. Add your spinach, any additional seasoning to taste, and whatever toppings your heart desires. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this Lentil Minestrone soup recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Looking for More Lentil Recipes?
One of my most popular lentil recipes is a fiesta-worthy Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup, which can be made stove top, in the Instant Pot, and in a slow cooker. Whichever method you choose, it’s sure to be a hit! The recipe has 200+ ★★★★★ rave reviews!
- Instant Pot Lentil Tacos
- Italian Lentil Soup – Instant Pot + Crock-Pot
- READER FAVORITE: Vegan Lentil Chili
- Crockpot Madras Lentils (Vegan + Vegetarian)
Just made this, and it was so good that I’m wishing I had a second stomach to eat more. Even my uber-picky teen pronounced it good. I know what I’ll be happily eating for lunch this week!
Thanks for the rave review, Chris! I’m so stoked y’all enjoyed the soup!
Made as written knowing my family of 5 would love it, but I worried it wouldn’t be enough, so I doubled it. Yeah, I have a ton left to freeze for future lunches now. Thankfully I do live the soup.
I LOVE having leftovers tucked away for a cold rainy day so this sounds like the perfect situation lol!
This soup was so easy to put together, it turned out so delicious love the addition of the lentils, I will definitely be making this soup again
Yay!!! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, Maria. Thanks!
So flavorful and filling!
Thanks Laura!
You have a lot of experience cooking with lentils. Do you think this recipe would work with split red lentil.
Hi Belinda! They should totally work but require less cook time for the lentils themselves (split red lentils cook in 5-10 minutes in boiling liquid typically) and the texture of the soup would be a little different than with whole green/brown lentils as they’re much thinner. Maybe experiment a little with veggie/bean/pasta ratio if you want a chunkier minestrone and also I would add the red lentils in at the same time as the pasta since their cook time is similar. Hope this helps! I adore using split red lentils in my tortilla soups and chilis! xoxo
Ive been struggling to make healthy dinners lately so I bought some dried cut up veggies in the hopes it would help. I had a vegetable stew mix of veggies and was looking for a soup to make and remembered seeing this one and gave it a go. It was perfect. I made leftovers the next day by taking half that was left adding southwest spices and poured it over mashed potatoes and it felt like a whole different meal. Today we are adding meatballs and making it a meatball soup and Im feeling pretty accomplished in the meal making department this week, thanks for a great recipe!
Really great flavor and so hearty and satisfying on a cold winter day. I have made this soup twice now, following the recipe as written. Even my meat eating husband complimented this recipe. It’s a keeper! Leftovers freeze quite well, too. Thank you for sharing this and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
I’m so honored this one made a repeat appearance already! Eeee! So glad y’all are loving the soup and cannot wait to hear what you try next! xo
I encourage everyone to make this soup, it’s outstanding. I followed the recipe to the letter, but needed to substitute gluten free elbows for regular. It didn’t make any difference and was wonderful. However, this soup does a magic trick overnight and turned something outstanding into one of our top five favorite soups ever…and we’re soup people. Try it, you won’t regret it.
This was delicious, added some chopped zucchini. Only used 4 c. of broth, needed 5, the pasta absorbed alot of the liquid. I think I would add more spinach too. Great soup
This was so good! My husband and I recently discovered your website and we’re over the moon. We had some leftover asparagus on hand which I chopped up and stirred in at the end. Also added red pepper flakes as my husband is all about spice! Thank you!
Can you make it in an Instant Pot?
Hi Laurey! You can use my Instant Pot Italian Lentil Soup recipe as a guide. I would add the pasta at the very end after you vent and remove the lid and then just pop the lid back on and let the pasta cook in the soup for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
Delicious! My husband and I devoured this total hug-in-a-bowl today. We loved the lentil spin on minestrone – something I’ve never thought to try! I added a few chili flakes to mine for an extra kick and to stop hubby from stealing my portion also! Haha
Thanks Louise, I’m so glad the soup was a hit! Brilliant add-in with the chili flakes – I love them on literally everything these days!