This Spring Lentil Vegetable Soup features all your favorite in-season vibrant green produce, like leeks, asparagus, and peas. An fresh spring herb pistou (a sauce similar to pesto) is spooned on top of each bowl, adding zingy, fresh, garlicky flavor. This soup is incredibly healthy and green vegetable-forward, yet hearty and filling with the added lentils. My honest description here is that it tastes like a salad, but it’s a soup! Perfect for that chilly early spring weather.
In New England, spring is fickle. It will be warm, the birds will start chirping, the bulbs will start shooting up from the ground. And within a few days, you’re faced with chilly, rainy weather again. This spring lentil vegetable soup is perfect for those kinds of days. When fresh green plants and food are on your mind, but your body still needs something warm.
My favorite thing about this soup is how fresh it tastes. The quick cooking veggies – asparagus and peas – are stirred in at the end of cooking for only a few minutes until they’re crisp-tender. Very often, soups include veggies that are cooked to smithereens or pureed. But sometimes you don’t want your veggies to be mushy, you know? These have the perfect amount of bite that adds to the super fresh taste of the soup. This is a soup you chew.
And about that spring herb pistou…
When that fresh, garlicky spring herb pistou is stirred into the soup? It’s like you’re eating a garden (in a good way). I used my favorite spring herbs – chives, mint, cilantro, and dill – to make the pistou, but you can use basically whatever herbs you like or have available to you. A pistou is a French herb sauce very similar to the more familiar pesto, and it often omits the cheese and nuts you’ll find in Italian pesto sauces. The herbs are pulverized in a food processor with fresh garlic, olive oil, lemon, and crushed red pepper into the most amazing fresh sauce. Next time, I’ll double it to spread on sandwiches or spoon on top of scrambled eggs!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Green or Brown Lentils – I used French green lentils. Don’t use red lentils here, as they won’t keep their shape. Another legume, like cannellini beans or chickpeas, can also be used (but I recommend canned rather than dried). Canned lentils can be used, just drain and rinse before and use less broth.
- Leeks – I’ll explain how to clean them really well below!
- Peas – Fresh or frozen is fine here.
- Asparagus – If you’re not a fan, you can substitute another quick-cooking spring veggie or two for the asparagus and/or peas (more on that below).
- Baby Spinach and/or Arugula – other greens can work, such as kale, but keep in mind they may have a stronger taste and might need longer cooking times.
- Garlic
- Broth – I used homemade rotisserie chicken broth. Veggie broth will work just fine for a plant-based/vegan option. I do recommend using a good, flavorful broth as this soup is relatively bland otherwise (better than bouillon bases are a great option here).
- Lots of Herbs! I used a combination of chives, dill, cilantro, and mint. Basil, parsley, or other delicate fresh herbs can be used here as well, depending on your preferences and what’s available to you.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest – you’ll use the juice from about one lemon in both the soup and the pistou.
- Crushed red pepper – optional.
How to make Spring Lentil Vegetable Soup with Herb Pistou
First, you’ll sauté some prepped leeks in olive oil in a big ol’ pot. Leeks can be a bit tricky to prep because they’re notoriously filthy. If you’re unfamiliar with how to clean them, see below – I’ve got a great fuss-free method!
Then, add some garlic and sauté until it’s nice and fragrant. Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, and stir in some (preferably pre-soaked) lentils (more on soaking below). Let that cook for a while until the lentils are soft.
Meanwhile, prep your other veggies and make the pistou. The pistou whips up easily up in a food processor. Just add fresh herbs, a nice big crushed clove of garlic, salt, lemon zest, salt, and a little bit of lemon juice to the food processor. Pulverize, scraping down the sides as needed, then drizzle in olive oil as the food processor runs.
Once the lentils are soft and cooked, stir in the asparagus, peas, and spinach/arugula. Let it cook for about 5 minutes or so, until the asparagus is done to your liking. Then, turn off the heat and stir in fresh lemon juice, and season to taste. Ta-da! Stir a dollop of the pistou into each bowl and you’re good to go!
How to clean and prep leeks
Leeks are notoriously dirty. This is my favorite, most effective way to clean them. After you trim off the dark green parts and the root end, slice the leeks lengthwise, then slice cross-wise into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces. The leek pieces will likely be very dirty. Place the sliced leeks into a large bowl or container and cover with lots of water.
Use your hands to break apart the slices and jostle around a bit to dislodge the dirt. The dirt will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the leeks to a colander, leaving the dirty water behind. Rinse very thoroughly in the colander. Then, you can use the leeks in your recipe.
Should you soak or not soak lentils?
You can go either way, but I always soak lentils (and all other dried legumes) in SALTED water before cooking (the only exception being red lentils, which wouldn’t hold up to soaking).
Why? Well, we all know the rhyme… beans beans the magical fruit. Beans and legumes notoriously cause indigestion in some people because they contain indigestible fibers. Soaking them helps break down some of those indigestible fibers, making them easier to digest. Those fibers are left in the liquid, which should be drained and rinsed prior to adding to your recipe (and it’s the same reason why I always drain and rinse canned beans as well).
And the salt? Not only does that help give the lentils a boost of flavor from the get-go, but adding salt to the soaking liquid can also help the legumes maintain their shape while cooking and enhance their texture. Pretty cool, huh?
So feel free to use unsoaked lentils in this spring lentil vegetable soup, especially if you’re particularly talented at digesting legumes. And in this case, you’ll need a little more liquid for cooking. But I’m always going to recommend soaking!
Lentils only need a short soaking time – about 20-30 minutes in warm salted water. You can cover them in cold water and refrigerate them overnight if you prefer, but they aren’t like larger dried legumes that usually need a longer, overnight soak.
Using other vegetables in spring lentil vegetable soup
Like many soups, this spring lentil vegetable soup is pretty versatile and easy to make your own. You can feel free to use other veggies, or omit some that you don’t like. Quick cooking veggies, such as small florets of broccoli or cauliflower, can be added at the end of cooking when you’d add the asparagus and peas. Veggies that need longer to cook can be added with the lentils, such as carrots or potatoes.
Other green spring vegetable recipes
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Spring Lentil Vegetable Soup with Herb Pistou
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 cup green or brown lentils preferably pre-soaked (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 leeks trimmed, sliced, and washed well (see notes)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth preferably low-sodium or homemade, plus more if needed
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- ½ lb. asparagus tough ends trimmed off and discarded, then cut into ½-1 inch pieces
- 5 oz. baby spinach and/or arugula optional: give it a rough chop before adding to the soup
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice remember to zest before juicing for pistou (below)
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Spring Herb Pistou
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 cup fresh mint, dill, chives, and/or cilantro see notes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- zest of one lemon
- pinch of crushed red pepper optional
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Optional, but highly recommended: 30 minutes before beginning, place the 1 cup green or brown lentils in a bowl or container with ½ tablespoon of kosher salt and cover with warm water to allow to soak (this helps not only the texture of the lentils but also breaks down some of the indigestible fibers). You can also do this with cold water and store in the fridge for a longer time/overnight.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the 2 leeks (see notes on prepping and cleaning them) and sauté until softened, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the minced 2 cloves garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds or so, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. If you soaked the lentils, drain and rinse well in a colander. Add the lentils to the soup, turn the heat to low, and cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until lentils are fully cooked (if you chose not to soak, you may need more time and a bit more liquid). If the soup seems too thick, you can add more broth or water as needed.
- While the lentils cook, make the pistou. Add the crushed 1 clove garlic, 1 cup fresh mint, dill, chives, and/or cilantro, ½ teaspoon salt, the zest of one lemon, ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and pinch of crushed red pepper (optional) to a food processor. Turn on until everything is well chopped. Then, drizzle the ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil in while it's running, stopping to scrape down the side if needed. (Alternatively, you can do this with an immersion blender in a jar, go old-school and use a mortar and pestle, or just chop the herbs and mince the garlic by hand and mix everything up in a small bowl.)
- Stir in the 1 cup fresh or frozen peas, chopped ½ lb. asparagus, and 5 oz. baby spinach and/or arugula. Continue to heat on low for about 5 minutes, or until asparagus is cooked (but not mushy!). Turn off the heat and stir in the 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper – the amount you need will depend on how much salt was in the broth you used. If the soup seems too thick, you can add some more broth or some water.
- Serve the soup with a dollop of the pistou in each bowl, preferably with a nice thick slice of crusty bread.
Notes
- To clean leeks, trim the dark green parts off as well as the bottom with the roots and discard. Slice lengthwise in half and then slice cross-wise into ½-inch pieces. Place in a bowl filled with water and give them a bit of a swirl to dislodge any dirt. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the leeks from the bowl into a colander – the dirt will sink to the bottom of the bowl. If they are particularly dirty, you can repeat this process with clean water. Otherwise, give them another generous rinse in the colander and proceed with the recipe.
- For the lentils, be sure not to use red lentils, as they cook differently and will disintegrate and not keep their shape.
- You can use canned lentils -in this case, drain and rinse them and add to the soup just after bringing to a boil along with the asparagus, peas, and spinach. Feel free to do this with other canned beans as well such as cannelini or chickpeas.
- For the herbs, feel free to use what you have. I used equal amounts of dill, mint, chives, and cilantro in the pistou. Herbs can get pricey and sometimes hard to find if you don’t grow them yourself, so feel free to use what you have – just pick one or two of your favorites, or use other delicate fresh herbs like basil, parsley, tarragon, etc., depending on your preferences.
- Feel free to use other veggies, or omit some that you don’t like. Add slow-cooking veggies to the pot with the lentils, such as carrots or potatoes. Add fast-cooking veggies that you don’t want to overcook in at the end when you would add the asparagus and peas, such as broccoli, chopped kale, or cauliflower.
- This soup freezes really well. You can stir the remainder of the pistou into the soup before freezing to make things easier on yourself, or you can freeze it separately or make a new batch for when you defrost the soup later for a fresher taste.
- If you don’t feel like making the pistou, that’s fine! It really is special, but sometimes we want a shortcut. Just be sure to stir in some fresh chopped herbs to the soup at the end – this soup really needs herbs. I also recommend a little drizzle of olive oil in each bowl when serving.
- This soup is vegan / vegetarian as long as you use vegetable broth as the base.
- This recipe was inspired by the Spring Meadow Soup at The Abrothecary.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Leanne
Delicious way to use up asparagus.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Agreed! So glad you liked it!