Brown's Hearty Lentil Soup

By Lauren Mitchell, Test Kitchen Director · Reviewed by AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-04-05 · Updated 2026-04-05

A deeply flavorful soup made with brown lentils, carrots, and celery, enhanced with smoked paprika and fresh thyme for comforting nourishment. This french-inspired soups ready in about 55 minutes pairs brown lentils, olive oil, onion for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 320 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup, rinsed brown lentils
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium, diced onion
• 2 medium, diced carrot
• 2 stalks, diced celery
• 3 cloves, minced garlic
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup, leaves fresh thyme
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Step 1: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add 1 diced medium onion, and cook for 3 minutes until translucent.
2. Step 2: Add 2 diced medium carrots and 2 diced celery stalks, cooking for 5 minutes until vegetables soften slightly, then stir in 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 tsp smoked paprika, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Step 3: Add 1 cup rinsed brown lentils, 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 bay leaf, and a pinch each of salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until lentils and vegetables are tender.
4. Step 4: Discard bay leaf, stir in 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves and 1 tbsp lemon juice, then season with additional salt and pepper to taste.