GlobalSoup / stew

First Pot Lentil Soup

A beginner-friendly tomato red-lentil soup with carrot, cumin, smoked paprika, lemon, soy-yogurt swirl, parsley, pumpkin seeds and bread on the side.

Eat nowMake-aheadContains gluten, soy
Hands-on17 minTotal time35 minEnergy761 kcalProtein42g
Recipe details
LightEasy-goingFreezer-friendly

Equipment: Hob

Keep chilled after cooking

First Pot Lentil Soup
Servings1 standard portionAdjust

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Standard portions

About 700 kcal per adult reference portion

Making 1 standard portion. Ingredients, instructions and Cooking Mode update together.

Doubling up barely adds effort and covers another mealtime.

Ingredients

Finish

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Now we make

Method

17 min hands-on 35 min altogether
  1. 1
    Toast 14g pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant; let it cool before using
    πŸ– 3 min
  2. 2
    Warm 7ml olive oil in a saucepan. Cook ΒΎ finely diced white onion and 1Β½ finely diced carrot for 4-5 minutes until beginning to soften, then add 1Β½ clove minced garlic, ΒΎ tsp cumin and ΒΎ tsp smoked paprika and stir for 30 seconds
    πŸ– 6 min
  3. 3
    Rinse 105g dry red lentils under cold water, then drain. Add red lentils, 300g chopped tomato, 710ml water, 1 pinch black pepper and 1 pinch salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook 15-18 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are soft and starting to collapse
    πŸ– 4 minπŸ’€ 18 min unattended
  4. 4
    Stir in 55g spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until just wilted, then mash the soup a few times with the back of a spoon so some lentils dissolve into the broth while the carrot still gives small pieces of texture
    πŸ– 1 min
  5. 5
    Stir in 21ml lemon juice. Spoon into a bowl, swirl over 70g plain, unsweetened soy yogurt, then finish with 14g chopped parsley and pumpkin seeds. Serve with 1 slice wholemeal bread cut from a loaf on the side
    πŸ– 3 min

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Nutrition details

Nutrition is shown for one standard portion, not the whole batch selected above.

Explore full nutrition

Nutrition summary

At a glance

Higher inVitamin KVitamin AVitamin C
Lower inNo notable shortfalls

Calories

761kcal

36%
Top contributors
Red Lentils Β· 45%Wholemeal Bread Β· 11%Pumpkin Seeds Β· 11%
22% cal

Protein

42.1g

67%
Top contributors
Red Lentils Β· 60%Pumpkin Seeds Β· 10%Wholemeal Bread Β· 8%
54% cal

Carbs

103.3g

Top contributors
Red Lentils Β· 51%Wholemeal Bread Β· 14%Tomato Β· 9%
24% cal

Fat

19.9g

28%
Top contributors
Pumpkin Seeds Β· 35%Olive Oil Β· 32%Red Lentils Β· 11%

Small numbers, big impact

Everyday essentials

Fibre25.56g
87%
Top contributors
Red Lentils Β· 44%Tomato Β· 14%Wholemeal Bread Β· 11%
Vitamin B120.00ΞΌg
0%
Vitamin D0.91ΞΌg
6%
Top contributors
Soy Yogurt Β· 100%
Iodine0.00ΞΌg
0%
Iron15.45mg
86%
Top contributors
Red Lentils Β· 50%Spinach Β· 10%Cumin Β· 8%
Zinc7.18mg
65%
Top contributors
Red Lentils Β· 53%Pumpkin Seeds Β· 15%Wholemeal Bread Β· 11%
Calcium416.18mg
42%
Top contributors
Soy Yogurt Β· 22%Water Β· 17%Spinach Β· 13%

Nutrients food alone won't reliably cover

These three are commonly under-consumed across all diets, not just plant-based ones - the difference is mainly B12, which has no whole plant food source at all.

  • Vitamin B12: is absent from whole plant foods entirely - the number above only reflects fortified ingredients (nutritional yeast, fortified soy milk). A reliable B12 supplement or fortified source is the standard recommendation for a fully plant-based diet, regardless of what any single day's total shows.
  • Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): most people fall short here regardless of diet - the typical omnivore diet doesn't include much oily fish either. This app only tracks ALA, the plant form (flax, walnuts, hemp, chia). The body converts some ALA to EPA and very little to DHA - the forms most directly used by the brain, eyes and heart - and that conversion is inefficient. An algae-oil supplement is the usual plant-based way to get EPA/DHA directly; it won't show up as an ingredient in any recipe here.
  • Vitamin D: deficiency is widespread across all diets, not just plant-based ones - it's mostly absent from whole plant foods here, and even the fortified soy milk and yogurt tracked don't cover the full target from food alone. Reasonable sun exposure or a D2/D3 supplement is the standard recommendation.

Not medical advice - if you're eating fully plant-based long-term, it's worth a conversation with a GP or dietitian, and a blood test is the reliable way to check where you actually stand.

See the full supplement guide (incl. creatine) β†’
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