This delicious vegan lentil and mushroom soup is the perfect meal for a cold winter day. Packed with nutrients and flavor, it's sure to satisfy your taste buds!
This umami mushroom lentil soup is popular in the fall and winter months when all you want is a big, comforting bowl of vegetarian soup. The flavors are out of this world delicious, with savory mushrooms perfectly balancing the earthy lentils and creamy broth.
Made with simple and wholesome ingredients, this recipe is sure to be a keeper! It is easy to adjust to your liking, adding more veggies or bulking it up with grains if desired.
If you're a lentil fan like me, you'll love this red lentil sweet potato soup, and lentil sloppy joes! If you have any hesitancy about cooking dried lentils, make sure to check out my helpful guide!
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Ingredient Notes
- Vegetables - onions, carrots, celery, garlic and mushrooms are the star veggies!
- Spices - salt, black pepper and thyme.
- Wine - used to deglaze the pan. It adds a bit of flavor but all of the alcohol will cook out!
- Lentils - use regular lentils (brown lentils) for this recipe.
- Vegetable broth - you'll need a combination of vegetable broth and water for this recipe. You can buy broth of try making your own veggie scrap broth!
- Coconut milk - light coconut milk transforms this into a creamy soup!
Substitutions & Variations
- Grains - add in 1 cup of cooked grains such as quinoa, wild rice, farro or barley!
- Mushrooms - use any variety of mushrooms you want! Baby Bellas, white button, cremini, shiitakes,
- Potatoes - add in 1 diced potato (about 1 cup) at the same time as the lentils.
- Tomatoes - stir in 1 can of diced tomatoes for a slightly sweet vegetable addition.
- Wine - you can omit the wine and deglaze the pan if needed with a splash of water or vegetable broth.
- Lighter - omit the coconut milk and use extra creamy oat milk, soy milk, almond milk or just veggie broth.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the diced onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Add the minced garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until garlic begins to brown. Add the wine and scrap off any bits stuck to the bottom of the plan. Let the wine cook out until it is almost gone.
Step 3: Add the lentils, spices and vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked.
Step 4: Mix the miso paste in ½ cup of water or vegetable broth until dissolved. Stir in the miso mixture, kale and coconut milk into the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Hint: this soup is perfect served with crusty bread or air fryer crostinis on the side.
Emily's Top Tip
"Don't add the salt or spices until after the mushrooms have cooked for 8-10 minutes. This will help prevent the mushrooms from becoming rubbery or difficult to eat."
Frequently Asked Questions
Store mushroom and lentil soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stove top. You can freeze lentil soup for up to 3 months.
I like to use a combination of baby bella/cremini mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. Feel free to use your favorite type of mushrooms here, or whatever variety is available to you.
Hearty Lentil And Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 lb mushrooms sliced (any variety)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups brown lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups kale roughly chopped
- 1 (15) oz can light coconut milk
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven and heat over medium heat.
- Sauté the diced onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes and salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until aromatic and garlic begins to brown.
- Add the wine and scrap off any bits stuck to the bottom of the plan. Let the wine cook off until it is almost gone (about 3 minutes).
- Add the lentil, bay leaf and vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked.
- Scoop out ½ cup of broth and add it to a small bowl. Mix the miso paste in the small bowls of broth until dissolved.
- Stir in the miso mixture and coconut milk into the soup. Taste and adjust seating as needed.
- Serve with crusty bread or air fryer crostini and enjoy!
Notes
- Add in 1 cup of cooked grains such as quinoa, barley, wild rice or farro.
- Stir in 2 cups of greens such as kale or spinach.
- Without coconut milk - swap in plant-milk, regular milk or veggie broth.
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