Trying to include more pulses in your diet? Here are 4 simple and delicious lentil soup recipes. Lentils are packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins.

It’s hard to believe another year is almost here. I don’t know about you, but I love these few days leading up to the new year. It feels calm with the holiday craziness behind us, but also exciting, with a new, fresh year almost upon us. It’s a time to relax and enjoy what matters most in life, but also to reflect on the year behind and make plans and goals for the year ahead.

After eating Christmas leftovers for several days, I finally made a lentil soup from the Oh She Glows Cookbook. It was delicious, comforting, and helped clear my stuffy nose with its spice. Lentils are one of my favorite pantry staples. In addition to being economical and easy to prepare, lentils provide a whole lot of nutritional benefits.

It was delicious, comforting, and helped clear my stuffy nose with its spice. Lentils are one of my favorite pantry staples. In addition to being economical and easy to prepare, lentils provide a whole lot of nutritional benefits, including being:

• An excellent source of vegan protein
• Packed with soluble and insoluble fiber (good for stabilizing blood sugar and aiding with digestion, respectively),
• A good source of iron, magnesium, and folate
• A slow-burning energy fuel that will keep you going for hours

My top method for using this legume is making soup. Especially this time of year, when whether it’s raw and rainy or bitterly cold and snowy outside, a bowl of lentil soup never fails to comfort you. Just add some fresh bread, hummus, crackers, or grilled cheese, and you have a satisfying lunch or dinner. (I will often serve lentil soup—or any veggie soup—with a cheese panini on the side to appease my kids who are still learning to love lentils.)

Here are 4 of my favorite lentil soup recipes:

1. Lentil Soup with Fennel

A fantastic lentil soup that never fails to amaze me. How can something so delicious come from such humble ingredients? The fennel definitely adds a little extra flavor to this classic.

2. Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup – Oh She Glows

This vegan lentil soup packs in the heat with the simple addition of dried spices: cayenne pepper, cumin, smoked paprika,  coriander, and chili powder. It’s perfect for when you have a cold or just can’t seem to warm up.

3. Simple Lentil Soup

One of my first blog posts on this site. This is another simple and delicious lentil soup recipe! While the other 3 recipes use red lentils, this one uses green lentils. This soup also includes some favorite root veggies: parsnips and carrots, and fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones.

4. Spiced Lentil & Carrot Soup with Frazzled Onions – from Lavender and Lovage

While I haven’t made this recipe it looks marvelous. And I’m curious if the kids may like this better since it comes across more like a creamy carrot soup than a lentil soup. Let me know if you try it before me!

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I could give you another 10 recipes that look amazing, but why overwhelm you with recipes–that’s what Pinterest is for! And anyway, it’s hard to go wrong with lentil soup. Whether you prefer it vegan or not, with red lentils or green, with spice or no spice, there is something for everyone.  So pick a recipe, and give it a try. Make some adjustments to your liking and before you know it you will have created your own fabulous lentil soup recipe!