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During the winter months, we all crave comfort food. Oftentimes, we feel that comfort food needs to be a guilty pleasure that’s heavy and overly filling. Enter this creamy curry lentil soup! It’s both in one: a meal in a bowl and a healthy soup, all at the same time.
I never try to place a guilt trip on food, but sometimes it’s important to make sure we have a balance. In this soup, there’s not much need for sacrifice! The red lentils in this soup cook into a creamy base complete with chunks of perfectly cooked sweet potatoes and swiss chard. The extra creamy note comes from coconut milk that also works to add a hint of sweetness.
This soup is all you need for comfort and nourishment! I think that is the ultimate comfort of all!
The ingredients in this curry lentil soup
- Onion and celery are the base flavors to start building the soup. The celery is sliced into slightly bigger pieces so it keeps some of its texture.
- Swiss chard in this soup needs to be used in two ways. First, the leafy greens are removed from the stems. The stems are then chopped and added with the celery to soften. Second, the greens are added at the end to retain their green flavor and provide some vegetable-like texture.
- Curry powder is the star flavor of this soup. I use yellow curry powder, but any curry powder will work!
- Red lentils are the absolute best part of this soup. Lentils pack a lot of protein and nutrition, but also provide that necessary comfort level with their starchy texture. As they cook, the lentils become creamy, helping to thicken the soup.
- Diced tomatoes are a great way to increase the number of vegetables in the soup along with the flavor. Canned diced tomatoes are always in season and have terrific flavor.
- Sweet potatoes provide the heartiness to make this soup a true meal. I always use white Japanese potatoes. They’re denser and drier, similar to an American potato, but with the nutrition that comes from a sweet potato.
- Coconut milk gives a great flavor and adds the smooth, creaminess the soup needs. For the best flavor, use full fat coconut milk.
This soup really is a winner. It has become my go-to soup recipe all winter long. What’s best is that the recipe is easy and comes together quickly. But with this flavor, it will taste like it took all day to make.
This makes the best leftovers and can also be “dressed up” for company. Serve with toasted coconut, cilantro leaves, or anything else that excites you!
More soup recipes
Watch how to make this curry lentil soup
Creamy Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 bunch Swiss chard greens and stems separated, with stems diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups water
- 1 lb sweet potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 14.5-oz can coconut milk
Instructions
- In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. Add the onion, celery, Swiss chard stems, and salt. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, 6 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Stir until fragrant, 1 minute.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 bunch Swiss chard, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp yellow curry powder, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Pour in the red lentils, tomatoes with juice, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the lentils are par-cooked, 20 minutes.1 cup red lentils, 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, 4 cups water
- Add the sweet potatoes and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, 15-20 minutes.1 lb sweet potatoes
- Add in the coconut milk and chopped Swiss chard greens. Stir until the coconut milk is dissolved and the greens are wilted, 5 minutes. Serve with toasted coconut and fresh cilantro.1 14.5-oz can coconut milk
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
I’ve made this Curried Lentil Soup countless times. I typically make it as the recipe instructs and occasionally, I add carrots and don’t add the sweet potato. It’s an easy recipe ipeto make slight changes and they don’t impact the taste.
Can this soup be made in a slow cooker?
Wow, this is amazing. It has all the spices and flavors we love.
Very easy to make.
Will be starred as a favorite soup.
Thank you Kaleb
This is such a comforting and delicious soup! The flavours are absolutely on point. The only thing I changed was to use veggie broth instead of just water. Thanks so much for the recipe, this is now my favourite ❤️
One of my go to favorite recipes for soup! To switch it up a little bit I’m wondering if I might make this in a slow cooker? Any thoughts? Do you have other slow cooker recipes? (I have been given one for Christmas :))
This soup is amazing and is now a family favourite. I love your recipes and videos!
Delicious soup, easy to cook, my husband and I enjoyed this soup so much…..thanks for the recipe and the video!!!