Hearty Lentil & Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika Recipe

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This hearty vegan lentil and black bean soup recipe is the perfect comfort food for chilly days. Only 223 calories per generous serving!
Hearty Lentil and Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika...The perfect comfort food that happens to be vegan. Perfect for Meatless Monday! 223 calories and 2 Weight Watcher Freestyle SP #vegan

In the spirit of Meatless Monday, I pulled together a healthy, vegetarian (actually, this one will satisfy those who prefer vegan, too) soup for dinner. Truth be told, I needed something light after a weekend of hot gravy sandwiches – that would be a piece of bread, smeared with cranberry-maple sauce, loaded with turkey and stuffing and drenched in gravy. Oh yeah. You can see why I needed to get back to basics. A simple soup of lentils simmered with black beans, onions, garlic and flavored with smoked paprika is just what the diet doctor ordered. My jeans concur. All this talk about meatless meals leads me to this cookbook.

Last week I attended a book signing for Pam Anderson’s new book, Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals. You may remember that I am a big fan of Pam Anderson’s recipes and books – her Spicy Coconut Shrimp Stew is one of our favorites. Pam speaks to the home cook, developing recipes that can be made and enjoyed by novice and experienced cooks alike. She is a down-to-earth, kind soul who clearly loves what she does. She was accompanied by her daughter Maggy, who is a force of her own – she has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know and spunk to spare. Pam, Maggy and Sharon (Pam’s other daughter) together are Three Many Cooks.

There are plenty of books out there that are packed with vegetarian recipes. So, what makes Pam’s book different? One of the most appealing things to me is that the book provides formulas for whipping up healthy, meatless meals while providing latitude so that you can come up with your own flavor combinations depending on what ingredients you have on hand. If you’re not in the mood for being creative, that’s okay. There are plenty of suggestions for each type of meal and the categories run the gamut from oatmeal and breakfast pizzas to skillet stews and fast-food favorites (Italian, Asian and Mexican).

MY OTHER RECIPES

This Lentil & Black Bean Soup recipe doesn’t come from Pam’s book, but is inspired by her philosophy of working more meatless meals in our repertoire.

Hearty Lentil and Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika...The perfect comfort food that happens to be vegan. Perfect for Meatless Monday! 223 calories and 2 Weight Watcher Freestyle SP #vegan

The recipe:
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan set over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, 6 to 7 minutes.

Add garlic, smoked paprika and bay leaves and saute for 30 seconds.

Stir in diced tomatoes with juices, lentils, 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth and 3 cups water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.

Hearty Lentil and Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika...The perfect comfort food that happens to be vegan. Perfect for Meatless Monday! 223 calories and 2 Weight Watcher Freestyle SP #vegan

Reduce the heat slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 25 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Transfer half of the lentil mixture, half of the black beans and 3/4 cup chicken broth to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined, but not pureed. It should be a chunky texture.

Pour the blender mixture back into the lentils in the saucepan, along with the remaining 1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and remaining black beans. Stir and reheat over medium heat. Stir in parsley. Serve.

Hearty Lentil and Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika...The perfect comfort food that happens to be vegan. Perfect for Meatless Monday! 223 calories and 2 Weight Watcher Freestyle SP #vegan

Other recipes with lentils:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach
Indian Simmer’s Dal Makhani
ecurry’s Lentil Drops in Garlic Tomato Sauce
Namely Mary’s Curried Lentil Soup
Blue Kitchen’s Roasted Shrimp & Green Lentils

Hearty Lentil and Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika...The perfect comfort food that happens to be vegan. Perfect for Meatless Monday! 223 calories and 6 Weight Watcher SmartPoint #vegetarian

Instagram-button If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I’ll be sure to find it.

 

5.0 rating
3 reviews

Hearty Lentil & Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika

Loading nutrition data...
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

This hearty vegan lentil and black bean soup is the perfect comfort food for chilly days. Only 223 calories and 2 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP per generous serving!

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 2 large stalks celery, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup dried brown lentils
  • 4 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, divided
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan set over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, 6 to 7 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, smoked paprika and bay leaves and saute for 30 seconds.
  3. Stir in diced tomatoes with juices, lentils, 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth and 3 cups water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 25 to 35 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Transfer half of the lentil mixture, half of the black beans and ¾ cup vegetable or chicken broth to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined, but not pureed. It should be a chunky texture.
  5. Pour the blender mixture back into the lentils in the saucepan, along with the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and remaining black beans. Stir and reheat over medium heat. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

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Recipe Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 2 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 6 (SmartPoints), 6 (Points+), 4 (Old Points)

Disclosure: This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!

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Comments

  1. Looks wonderful, definitely on my “to make” list. Just one question – how many lentils are needed?? Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • I’m sorry about that, Chelsey. I updated the recipe to read “1 cup dried lentils”. Thanks for the heads-up!

      Reply

      • Made the soup yesterday and it was a huge hit! My boyfriend and I loved it. He’s Spanish so we always have smoked paprika in the cupboard. 😉

        Reply

        • By the way, I’m curious. Do you ever use celery root in your soups?? I’m a Canadian living over in Europe, where it’s a commom ingredient, but whenever I buy it in Canada people are always giving me funny looks and asking me what it is.

          Reply

  9. How much Lentils? 1 1/2 cups?

    I . Follow Pam Anderson on Twitter.
    I Follow Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter.
    I “Like” Pam Anderson on Facebook.
    I. “Like”Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook.

    Reply

  13. This looks like a perfect soup for this cooler weather. I have everything in my pantry so I think I’ll make it this week. I do have a question about the lentils though. They aren’t in the list of ingredients. How much?

    Reply

    • Thanks for your comment, Yvonne. I hope you enjoy the soup. I updated the ingredients list to read “1 cup dried lentils”. Thanks for the heads-up!

      Reply

  14. The recipe looks excellent and I will definitely be making it soon on a rainy day that cries out for comfort food (like today!). I think the lentils may have been omitted from the recipe and I was wondering whether you use dried or canned lentils. Do you worry about the BPA lining of canned goods?

    Reply

    • To answer your question about BPA. Yes, it is indeed a concern. Truth be told, I know that I will be far less likely to get beans into my diet if I rely only on dried beans. I need to be better about planning ahead to soak the beans. I have read that the most highly concentrated levels of BPA are found in canned pasta, soup and meats, though I’m sure they are still present in canned beans. I understand that Eden Foods uses a non-BPA lining for their canned beans, so I buy those when I see them. Let’s hope it’s an issue that gets dealt with soon!

      Reply

  17. A vegetarian Cookbook is just what I need. My Meat Loving family doesn’t believe in a meal without meat in it, so a little help with adapting meatless meals into the rotation would be inspiring and life changing for us!!

    Reply

  28. This is my new favorite. I love love love lentils. Thanks for making and sharing. Come visit us. We have a terrific pumpkin fried rice and this Friday we are having our second give away. Be sure to stop by and register for a chance to win a party dress from Shabby Apple.

    Reply

  30. This will be on our dinner table tonight… would love to enhance my repertoire of meatless meals, with two growing boys anything that can stretch our budget dollars…The Pam Anderson book would be a great start!
    Blessings
    Christina

    Reply

  41. This soup looks amazing and like just what I need after all that Thanksgiving food. I can’t wait to try this recipe, and the other lentil recipes you linked as well!

    Reply

  42. This sounds like something I need! I’ve just begun, at the late age of 66, an attempt to turn my food life around. Vegetarian/vegan eating is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long while, but I didn’t have either the courage or the support of family. Now I have the courage, but still no family support. I love your recipes, so if you think so highly of this book, I’m sure it would be of great help to me. Thanks for listening.

    Reply

    • Linda, good for you! It is never too late to inject healthy lifestyle and food choices into your daily routine. Pam’s book is packed full of great ideas and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

      Reply

  43. Definitely going to try this one. Finally found some ‘smoked’ paprika and this will be my first use for it. Sounds good and healthy to boot!

    Reply

  46. Thanks for the giveaway… I love Pam’s books. I think I have all of her other ones. I agree about vegetarian cooking – fills you up, but not heavy.

    Reply

    • Asiya, I used brown lentils in this particular recipe, but love using Masoor Dal, too.

      Reply

  64. I just bought some black beans because they were on sale. Now I have something to use them in…thanks so much !!

    Reply

  73. Just discovered your blog today, recently discovered smoked paprika, and I LOVE anything made with black beans or lentils! Yum!!!!

    Reply

  79. Lentils. Black Beans. Smoked Paprika. What a combination!

    I was so sad I had to miss the event with Pam. Sounds like it was a lot of fun. But I already bought the book, so you don’t have to put me in the giveaway.

    Reply

  88. These were the exact ingredients I had LAST night, but now that I’ve read this, I’m gonna go buy them again. Good for my upcoming soup swap as well. Thanks!

    Reply

  90. I like Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook. I also got a little bit overzealous with getting lentils from the bulk bin at Smith’s this week (about 2 lbs when I just needed a cup), so this soup looks perfect!

    Reply

  97. One of my fav veggie meals is a mix of barley, quinoa, lentils, white beans, rice, and diced carrots, celery and other aromatic/root veggies cooked in rich veggie broth! Very filling a tasty.

    Reply

  109. This soup sounds so good and is making me hungry! I’m a vegetarian and I’m always looking fr good veggie recipes!

    Reply

  112. I have been seeing this recipe all over Pinterest today, and couldn’t wait to come and check it out! It sounds so good. I’m definitely putting it on my list! (And you don’t need to enter my name for the giveaway, I already have a copy 🙂 but I just had to comment because this looks so good!)

    Reply

  117. We love lentil soups. Our favorite is Creamy Kale Lentil. Looks like I have all the ingredients on hand, it will be extra tasty with my garden canned tomatoes. I just recently bought some smoked paprika at the bulk store. Looking forward to making this this week. thank you. 🙂

    Reply

  123. I love lentils. They are quick cooking and delicious and does smoked paprika have the best smokey flavor or what? I can’t wait to try this recipe.

    Reply

  126. Ohhh! I have everything in house to make this on a rainy windy morning! Thanks for the great sounding and looking recipe! You solved the dinner today question!

    Reply

  129. Love your blog and use your recipes regularly to feed my family! Thanks so much for all the great content.

    Reply

  132. I always start craving hearty, chunky soups once fall rolls around, and this one looks like it would be a perfect addition to my repertoire, especially with the lentils and beans for added protein, and the smoked paprika for spice… such a great antidote to the cold, wet weather we’ve been having!

    Reply

  137. I’m obsessed with soups this time of year. I’ll have to try this one! That cookbook looks awesome. I’m definitely in a food rut and could use some good meatless inspiration

    Reply

  138. Oh, this sounds like dinner! To avoid the BPA issue, I now cook my beans in the slowcooker for 3 hours on high–no soaking required (Smitten Kitchen). I ‘liked’ you on Facebook, but they have my old email and canoemail is no longer operational.

    Reply

  139. I have been looking for a Lentil soup that appealed to both me and my husband. This sounds like just the one.
    Thanks Pam!

    Reply

  141. One of the only things on my Christmas list this year is cookbooks – this would make a great Christmas gift!

    Reply

  143. I simply must make this soup today. I’m really really tired, but this post is calling my name.

    Reply

  148. You may not know but I have this thing for soups. This one right here looks amazing, Dara! Hearty and meatless and perfect for those really cold nights when a bowl of soup is really all you want to eat. Beautiful pics too!

    Btw, love knowing this is a Pam Anderson recipe. Another winner.

    Reply

  149. A great giveaway and a lovely soup recipe. Thank you for tempting me with this post. I’m hungry now and want to make this for dinner! I hope you have a lovely end to your week. I can’t believe it is already Thursday! Hugs and love from Austin.

    Reply

  152. This recipe sounds great, can’t wait to try it. I began a vegetarian diet two weeks ago, inspired by “Forks Over Knives”.

    Reply

  153. Yup. I too had one of those over indulging turkey stuffing gravy sandwich weekends. Thank goodness they are only once a year! My system needed a reboot. Could have used a soup like this (and that, as my wife will tell you, is quite a statement from someone who has only recently started liking beans) 🙂

    Reply

  158. My coworker smells like rotten celery. I’ll have to swap that celery out for something ~ I can’t stand the smell of celery anymore!!!

    Reply

  160. Found your recipe through Kalyn’s Kitchen too. Could you make this in a slower cooker?. I am going to try this for sure.

    Reply

  165. I am always looking for new recipes that use black beans…this one sounds wonderful! Just the thing to take the chill off on the soon- to- come snowy weekends!

    Reply

  168. This looks like a wonderful recipe. I have the smoked paprika and not many recipes for it. Thanks for your generousity.

    Reply

  170. I’ve been vegetarian for 2 years and my boyfriend vegan for 12… we’re running out of new ideas so this book would be perfect. The black bean soup looks so healthy and I’ve always been curious about paprika paired with it too!

    Reply

  172. This was good timing as I have decided to try and go a little healthier. Not meatless but more veggies and fibre and less empty carbs. This filled the bill perfectly. As is, it was little bland for my taste (I tend to season fairly heavily) but it was easy to kick up the seasoning a little. I really enjoyed this.

    Reply

  173. This sounds like a great winter dish. I’d love to win the cookbook and get more of Pam’s recipes.

    Reply

  174. Just found this site this morning and am already enticed. can’t wait to try the bean soup and next click will be to check out the cookin canuck site:) Thank you!!!

    Reply

  175. This soup was so good! I loved everything about it! I didnt have fresh parsley, but happened to have cilantro, so I added a tiny bit of it. It was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!!!

    Reply

  177. I love healthy recipes like this! I almost always have these ingredients on hand and it is easy on my budget.

    Reply

  178. LOVE it Dara. I also have this book and it does provide amazing inspiration for those meatless meals. Lovely soup 🙂

    Reply

  181. Love your blog, Dara! What did you use for a garnish on the lentil-black bean soup, besides the parsley? Is that a slice of cheese or French bread floating on the top of the soup?

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Arden. That is actually just a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top.

      Reply

  182. Wow, that soup looks incredible. I always make my lentil soup the same way, and it’s getting old. I need to try this!! And I need to get my hands on that book. It’s so nice to find meatless cookbooks to keep those meat free meals interesting.

    Reply

  183. I just stumbled upon your site, and found this recipe. Made it last night and it is so good. It tastes and smells like something that been cooking all day but really just takes as long it takes to chop things and cook the lentils through. I’m looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch today! Thank you!

    Reply

  185. I made this several nights ago and absolutely loved it. I usually eat mostly meatless meals but ended up adding some andouille sausage to this. It was so delicious and just what I was looking for. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

    Reply

  186. I’m loving this soup! I made this last weekend, and am working on the leftovers. My hubby is allergic to lentils, so…more for me!

    Reply

  188. I made this the other day and it was sooo good!!! Mmm!! Since it was so thick I poured it over rice. It made it even better! I will have to make it again! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

  190. Wow, that looks really good! I am supposed to be eating healthier and with less meat. It is hard when you are used to what you grew up with. That looks like a step in the right direction. I am definitely printing this to try! Thanks for sharing :o).

    Reply

  191. Do not put hot soup in the blender. You know how you can hold a tight jar under hot water and it loosens the seal? Well, hot soup does the same thing to the bottom seal on a blender! I learned this the hard way while making this soup for dinner!

    The soup was tasty, but not worth that mess. If I make it again, I’ll be experimenting with different techniques.

    Reply

    • Hi Elizabeth, I’m sorry you had such a mess on your hands. Believe me, I’ve had the same kind of experience (the steam blowing the top off of the blender). That I why I suggested letting the soup cool for 10 minutes before putting it in the blender. You might want to consider increasing the cooling time the next time you make a blender soup just to make sure you don’t have any more problems.

      Reply

  195. I don’t have Twitter but already follow you on FB and now “Three Many Cooks”. I also follow you both on Pinterest.:-). I found you when I googled thumbprint cookies a year or so ago and follow you ever since.:-). I followed you before you started thinking of marathon and I’m so proud of you. I need you to come over here to motivate me.:-)

    Reply

  199. I saw this recipe on pinterest and had to repin. I am in love with black beans and considering switching to a vegetarian diet. With recipes like this one, the switch may be closer than anticipated. Thanks for the creation, I can’t wait to try it.

    Reply

  200. I made this last night and it was a hit! Even my son who is a picky eater ate every bit of it. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you so much! Can’t wait for more soup recipes. Love your site!

    Reply

  201. Great soup! I added a couple of handfuls of chopped kale as well as some red pepper flakes for an extra kick! Delicious.

    Reply

  202. Hi – my boyfriend are planning to make this soup for dinner. Have you tried doing it in a crockpot? If so, how did you do it? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Julie, I haven’t made this in a crockpot. It doesn’t actually take that long to put it together and, honestly, I think you’d spend just as much time prepping for the crockpot as you would making the soup in a regular saucepan. For example, you would still need to soften the vegetables on the stovetop and run half of the soup through a food processor to achieve the right texture. I hope you’ll still give it a try. It’s one of our favorites!

      Reply

  203. I added about 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder and doubled the amount of black beans. Getting ready to serve it up now.

    Reply

    • Hi Haley, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had that experience. This soup is typically a popular one with my readers (see comments above), so I’m not sure why it hasn’t turned out for you. That being said, let’s try to work this out. Here are a few suggestions:

      1) Be sure you taste the soup and season properly with salt and pepper. This step alone will make a huge difference.
      2) Use a good-quality vegetable or chicken broth. Since that is the base liquid, its flavor will have a great effect on the outcome.
      3) You could try increasing the amount of smoked paprika to your liking.

      I hope that helps!

      Reply

  205. Hi Dara, my boyfriend and I just had this for lunch and it was yummy, thank you. I was wondering if you could include the nutritional values as my boyfriend’s on a diet and he’d like to add the calories etc into his mobile app.

    Reply

    • Hi Debbie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I just added in the nutritional information. I’m sorry that the serving size is a little vague. The next time I make this soup, I’ll be sure to update that to a more accurate measurement.

      Reply

      • Thank you so much Dara, that’s very kind of you. I look forward to trying out some of your other recipes

        Reply

  206. This was pretty good for a meatless soup. Was a bit bland for our taste. Added cumin and cayenne pepper.

    Reply

  208. Nice post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog
    and I am inspired! Very helpful information particularly
    the remaining part 🙂 I handle such information much.

    I was looking for this particular information for a long
    time. Thank you and best of luck.

    Reply

  209. Of course I made it my own but the basic recipe is superb. Dinner was delicious and plenty of leftovers.

    Reply

  210. Chicken broth? I didn’t know chicken broth was vegetarian! 😉 Probably to satisfy a carnivore’s craving for a nice growth hormone soaked piece of meat though eh? You know you need meat to make chicken broth right? Doesn’t count as meatless in my book honey.

    Reply

    • Hi Jo Momma, thanks for your comment. You’ll notice that I wrote “vegetable or chicken broth” in the ingredients, in case people needed another option. If you don’t want to use chicken broth, then don’t use it! Vegetable broth is easy to find and a great way to keep this vegetarian.

      Reply

  211. Hi, I’m sorry but I’m a little confused. It says that it serves 4 and the serving size is 1/4 cup. Does this mean the recipe only makes 1 cup of soup? I may have just misread something.

    Thank you.

    Reply

  213. I love black bean soup, but hadn’t seen one made with lentils too. I skiped the oil, added frozen corn, and swapped cilantro for the parsley, I love the smokey flavor, so thank you for a very good recipe. I’ll be sharing in a FB group!

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jessica, and that you were able to make a few changes to suit your tastebuds.

      Reply

  214. I’ve made this recipe a few times now, and it’s always delicious! I serve mine with a side of cornbread. A perfect meal to warm us up after being out in the cold, rainy Washington weather!

    Reply

  215. I am pure vegetarian and always searching for delicious ways to eat more healthy. Now, this black lentil recipe is on my list. I will definitely cook this one for my family.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  11. […] Hearty Lentil & Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika Recipe – This was another Lentil Soup recipe that caught my eye, particularly since I bought a packet of organic black turtle beans during the summer that have sat conspicuously (and I feel a little mockingly) in my cupboard ever since. I also have some smoked paprika which I picked up by accident and have yet to use in anything, so this is something I definitely want to try. The recipe looks great and I love that the focus of Cookin’ Canuck is on healthy food. […]

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