Easy and delicious Carrot and Lentil Soup is made with simple ingredients in just 30 minutes! It's high in protein, full of flavor, kid-tested, and parent-approved! Your kids will love it!
Reduce heat to bring it to a simmer. Cook for 30-35 minutes (see notes).
Add balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Stir.
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, ½ teaspoon black pepper, salt
Enjoy!
Notes
To make this soup most kid-friendly, chop onion and carrots until they are about the size of a cooked lentil. A good quality food chopper will save you so much time.
Carefully taste the soup before adding salt to it. If you are using broth made without sodium, you will likely want to add some salt.
If you would like a thinner soup, you can add an additional 0.5 - 1 cup of broth (or water).
If no one in your family requires a salt restriction, I suggest adding a half teaspoon of salt the first time you make this, keeping in mind that store-bought chicken and vegetable broths contain salt (sodium). Once you have your kids sold on this soup, consider gradually reducing the amount of salt each time you make it.
Use either brown or green lentils.
Increase cooking time to 35 minutes if using green lentils.
To save time, use pre-cooked steamed lentils and simmer for only about ten minutes. You can find them in the produce section of Trader Joe's grocery stores.
To save time, you can use pre-packaged Mirepoix (diced onion, carrots, and celery) found in the produce section of most grocery stores.
This lentil soup can be made ahead of time and reheated either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Up to two cups of the broth can be substituted with water, if needed. However, if using less-sodium broth, I do not suggest substituting any of it with water. I tried it and it didn't taste very good ;)