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Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa

[heart_this] · May 6, 2009 · 61 Comments

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa

A healthy and hearty lentil, chickpea and quinoa soup seasoned with curry flavours.

Recently I have been enjoying exploring lentils though up until now I have only been using the green du puy lentils. There are many different types of lentils and I wanted to branch out and try a new one. When I was out shopping the bright red lentils caught my attention and I picked some of them up. Despite the fact that we have had a few warm days the weather has gotten cooler again and I was in the mood for a soup. While searching for recipes I came across a few for curried red lentil and chickpea soups that sounded good. Using those two main ingredients as the base for my soup I proceeded to add my favorite soup vegetables; onions, carrots and celery. Next I added some diced tomatoes to add more body and red to the soup. I thought that I was pretty much done but then as I was pulling out the lentils I noticed the quinoa in my cupboard and I recalled that it had worked well in several soups that I had made before and I decided to throw some in as well. I had ended up with a recipe for a nice and healthy sounding soup that also promised to taste great.
Red lentils cook pretty quickly and I only needed to simmer them in the soup for as long as I would have simmered the soup to allow for enough time for the flavours to mingle anyways. The curried red lentil soup with chickpeas and quinoa was nice and easy to make and it did not take long. This soup could easily be made on a week night. I really enjoyed the combination of the red lentils, chickpeas and quinoa and the textures that they added to the soup. The soup was nice and thick and hearty and yet somehow light at the same time. With the curry powder in it the soup was nice and aromatic and it tasted great. I wanted a bit more heat in the soup so I added some chili sauce though you could easily omit it or reduce it or even increase it depending on your tastes. I garnish the soup with some fresh chopped cilantro and a dollop of thick and creamy strained (or Greek style) yogurt.

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa
Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Servings: 6(2 cup)

A healthy and hearty lentil, chickpea and quinoa soup seasoned with curry flavours.

ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder (or 1 tablespoon garam masala + 1 teaspoon turmeric)
  • 1 cup dry red lentils
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon chili sauce such as sambal oelek or to taste
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • cilantro
  • Greek yogurt or sour cream
directions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  3. Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes and chili sauce.
  4. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
  5. Add the chickpeas and quinoa and cook for 5 minutes.
  6. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a garnish of cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 322, Fat 6.4g (Saturated 1g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 435mg, Carbs 48g (Fiber 16.4g, Sugars 6.8g), Protein 19g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Similar Recipes:
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Chickpea and Red Pepper Paprika
Lemony Lentil Soup
Chickpea, Spinach and Herb Stew
Cauliflower and Butternut Quinoa Curry
Turmeric Zucchini Soup

Food, Gluten-free, Main Course, One-Pan, One-Pot, Quinoa, Recipe, Soup, Vegetable, Vegetarian, Whole Grains

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mirtilla says

    May 6, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    Sembra buona…

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    May 6, 2009 at 11:42 pm

    Yum! I love lentils of all kinds. I’ve been on a curried lentil salad kick lately:

    http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/lentils-for-lunch/

    In fact, I’m having it for lunch again tomorrow!

    Reply
  3. Mary says

    May 6, 2009 at 11:58 pm

    Kevin, the color of your soup took my breath away. I’ll have to pay more attention to lentils.

    Reply
  4. Heather says

    May 7, 2009 at 12:07 am

    love the chickpeas in there!

    Reply
  5. noobcook says

    May 7, 2009 at 1:29 am

    Luv the deep orange hue. Looks super delicious!

    Reply
  6. Mrs Ergül says

    May 7, 2009 at 2:13 am

    I am always looking for new ways to cook lentils and chickpeas! Now this is killing two birds with one stone!

    Reply
  7. judyfoodie says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:12 am

    I was just wondering what to do with the rest of the quinoa in my pantry. This sounds like a plan.

    Reply
  8. Helene says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:18 am

    Congratulations Kevin!

    I love lentil soup. I’ll have to try your recipe for a change.

    I will be posting a new lentil recipe that I tried this week soon.

    Reply
  9. Indonesia-Eats says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:27 am

    This one will be my husband’s choice. Thanks for the recipe, Kevin!
    Anyway, long time I didn’t visit your blog. How are you?

    Reply
  10. MaryBeth says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:28 am

    I love the color and it looks very flavorful…

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    May 7, 2009 at 4:07 am

    A full bowl of Nutrition there !!

    Reply
  12. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    May 7, 2009 at 5:05 am

    A beautiful soup! Really appetizing!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  13. Nina Timm says

    May 7, 2009 at 6:48 am

    Beautiful colors!!! Are you still having cold weather?

    Reply
  14. Sophie says

    May 7, 2009 at 8:07 am

    MMMMMM…I love an excellent lentil soup!!
    I love that you have added quinoa, an excellent & healthy grain to the soup! Lovely flavours, Kevin!!

    Recently I made your cardamom & mango jam & the taste was exquisit! So, thank you a lot!!

    Reply
  15. Jamie says

    May 7, 2009 at 10:40 am

    I love lentils and love using the tiny red lentils to make a wonderful, tangy, spicy dal, which does end up rather like a thick soup. Your soup looks especially luscious!

    Reply
  16. Melynda says

    May 7, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    I just cooked quinoa for the first time (I know I am late for this grain!) and now this soup is next. Looks wonderful.

    Reply
  17. Marta says

    May 7, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    congrats of being asked to guest post1 that must be quite the honour 🙂
    This soup looks amazing, I love anything with quinoa in it, and I’m on a soup streak, so I’ll be trying this 🙂

    Reply
  18. Soma says

    May 7, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    Red lentils always taste good. What a lovely color Kevin!

    Reply
  19. Joanne says

    May 7, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    You would be an awesome guest post-er! Love the lentil soup, it’s such a great color.

    Reply
  20. Debbie says

    May 7, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    Looks great Kevin, I will check out that site too!

    Reply
  21. Kirby! says

    May 7, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Yummy!! This has all of my favorite things in it!

    Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    mmm i just bought lentils , have never used them, but this makes me want to give them a whirl 🙂 Beautiful dish!!

    Reply
  23. Anonymous says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    the color on this is so lively! I don’t use lentils much…the flavors you blended may compliment them in a way that would make me want to pair them together.

    Reply
  24. Cookin' Canuck says

    May 7, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    I love curry, quinoa, and chickpeas. I think that’s a sign that I definitely have to try your soup. It looks wonderful!

    http://www.cookincanuck.com

    Reply
  25. Lisa says

    May 7, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    This is a perfect recipe. I will be trying this for sure. I can never get enough chickpeas, and pairing the lentils and chickpeas with quinoa makes this one powerful healthy soup. Gorgeous image too.

    Reply
  26. Kerstin says

    May 7, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    What a lovely soup, it’s so pretty and looks really tasty and healthy! We always have lentils and chickpeas in our panty.

    Reply
  27. mycookinghut says

    May 7, 2009 at 7:49 pm

    this dish is great!!

    Reply
  28. Anonymous says

    May 7, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    The colors look just great.

    Reply
  29. Coffee and Vanilla says

    May 7, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    Very nice recipe Kevin! I love all lentil soups and this one looks very interesting 🙂

    Margot

    Reply
  30. jordan says

    May 7, 2009 at 9:32 pm

    This looks so beautiful! I have been wanting to make a soup with chickpeas!

    Reply
  31. Y says

    May 7, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    Yum, another one for the bookmark folder! 🙂

    Reply
  32. Donna-FFW says

    May 7, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    This soup looks delicious, like a mealin itself.

    Reply
  33. Chef Fresco says

    May 8, 2009 at 2:00 am

    I’ve been wanting to cook something with quinoa forever – this soup looks awesome

    Reply
  34. ttfn300 says

    May 8, 2009 at 2:39 am

    love the curly q’s of quinoa in this soup 🙂

    Reply
  35. Hayley says

    May 8, 2009 at 2:52 am

    Looks gorgeous Kevin, I’m on my way over to Zesty Cook!

    Reply
  36. finsmom says

    May 8, 2009 at 3:45 am

    Quinoa and Chickpeas are two of my favourite ingredients, so of course this recipe sounds amazing!
    Thanks for sharing another great recipe! You rock!

    Reply
  37. Michael in Phoenix says

    May 8, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    I made this last night, as I happened to have everything on hand. It is delicious! I made it exactly as written, but used sriracha (1 scant teaspoon) for the chile sauce. My family (lovely wife and two teenage boys) went nuts. Thanks for a very good recipe Kevin!

    Reply
  38. meeso says

    May 8, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    Sounds good, I’m headed over!

    Reply
  39. Michael in Phoenix says

    May 9, 2009 at 4:14 pm

    You’re always welcome. We can set an extra plate anytime!

    Reply
  40. Elra says

    May 10, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    Truly humble, healthy and delicious!

    Reply
  41. Tonya @ What's On My Plate says

    May 11, 2009 at 12:32 am

    You had me at yellow with this! Amazing.

    Reply
  42. cb says

    May 16, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    Made this last night and it was fabulous! The only change I made was using chili powder since I didn’t have chili powder! Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply
  43. Anonymous says

    October 20, 2012 at 7:21 pm

    One of the best soups I have made. I substitute the Quinoa with bulgar worked excellent.

    Reply
  44. zuzazak says

    January 26, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    that's exactly what i felt like today! except i made mine a bit differently and with crispy friend potatoes:

    http://cheesy-mash.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/warming-lentil-soup-with-crispy-fried.html

    zx

    Reply
  45. Moira says

    January 27, 2013 at 10:23 pm

    Kevin ~ what's your opinion on green/yellow/red/brown lentils ? I know some authentic recipes are specific as to which you use. Do you think it really matters ?

    Reply
  46. Kevin says

    January 30, 2013 at 5:50 pm

    Moira: I like to try to use the lentils that the recipe calls for but if I ran out or if I wanted to try something new then I would have no problem substituting another lentil in.

    Reply
  47. Monica McGuiness says

    August 18, 2013 at 1:21 pm

    What a delightful looking soup. And so healthy. Thanks for this.

    Reply
  48. Anonymous says

    October 1, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    Hello Kevin, I tried to cook your soup and make it look like yours. Mine looks brown, but tasted very good. I posted on my blog and I tagged you. I really love your dishes. Thank you. Susana @ Delicioso y Divertido.

    Reply
  49. Dianne Beaver says

    August 23, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    Hey Kevin, the link to Zesty Cook is broken, looks like the site no longer exists. This soup looks wonderful, will you post the recipe on your blog?

    Reply
  50. kevin says

    August 23, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    Dianne Beaver: The recipe is up! Thanks for letting me know that it was down on Zesty Cook!

    Reply
  51. shannonfredericks says

    March 1, 2016 at 3:06 am

    Very good! I might use fewer tomatoes next time, but otherwise perfect balance! I ended up adding a fourth cup of broth because it was positively loaded with good stuff. I can't believe how quick it was! Monday night after homework and after school activities with the kids, I was hesitant to try it. This will for sure be in our regular rotation.

    Reply
  52. Chelsea says

    December 1, 2016 at 1:06 am

    This is delicious! I added dry quinoa though and just added more broth to make it one pot meal. I also upped the ginger to more like 2-3 tbsp.

    Reply
  53. Chota bheem says

    January 7, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    I love this one! Have made it quite a few times!

    Reply
  54. kevin says

    January 8, 2017 at 2:25 pm

    Chota bheem: I'm glad you like it!

    Reply
  55. Lisa says

    February 12, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    A cup of cooked quinoa, or a cup of raw quinoa, cooked?

    Reply
  56. kevin says

    February 13, 2017 at 2:38 am

    Lisa: The recipe calls for cooked but you could use 1/3 cup raw and simmer until cooked, possibly adding extra broth.

    Reply
  57. Hayley says

    June 5, 2020 at 10:29 pm

    This was absolutely delicious, making a double batch next time!

    Reply
  58. Germaine Dubois says

    January 13, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    Its that time of year for soup – and finding this recipe hits the spot – just wondering if rice could be used instead of quinoa. Love your recipes…

    Germaine

    Reply
    • kevin says

      January 18, 2021 at 9:35 am

      Yes you can! I would add the rice and chickpeas at the same time as the lentils as the rice will cook in about the same amount of time as the lentils. Enjoy!

      Reply
  59. Ed says

    January 13, 2021 at 9:17 pm

    I just made it and it’s hearty and delicious. Instead of using chili sauce I used 1 1/2 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste and the flavor was excellent. Yet again another great recipe from you.

    Reply
  60. Meri says

    July 7, 2022 at 7:43 pm

    This recipe really appealed to me b/c we are currently living in our Airstream and I had most of the ingredients on hand (nice there weren’t a ton of different seasonings). I did not cook my quinoa ahead (trying to be mindful of how many dishes I dirty), so added 1/4 cup of uncooked quinoa about 5 minutes before adding the lentils. The other thing I added was some cut up organic chicken sausage (four total). This turned out great, and lots of leftovers!!

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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