Easy Celery and Lentil Soup

This tasty celery and lentil soup is rich, hearty and filling. Use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge and add leftover cheese rinds for extra flavour.

My Celery and Lentil Soup

Post is being updated Spring 2023.  Please follow the method in the recipe card, which has been tweaked. The body of the post may not reflect the updated recipe! 

Celery works very well in soup and stews, its bright, sharp character tamed and mellowed by cooking.  If you have a veg box I expect you will know the spring time celery glut well!   

I am not a great fan of celery as a snack, but I do think a good celery soup is delicious. Here, I have combined it with hearty lentils and some green vegetables for a substantial and nutritious lunch dish. 

I will confess that this is one of those dishes born out of the need to use things up. It is no less good for that, however. I used a whole head of celery for this recipe. I also used up the remnants of two bags of lentils, (or you can use just one type), plus some lonely veggies from the bottom of the fridge. 

Make a big batch of this soup at the weekend for easy lunches. It will freeze and can be reheated on the hob or in the microwave. I have allowed for eight portions but you can halve the recipe if you have no space in the freezer.  

Waste Nothing with Flavour! 

Any chef will tell you that in a professional kitchen nothing that tastes good ever goes to waste. One of my secret ingredients is the cheese rind pot in the freezer.  All the cheese rinds get stashed in there ready for soups, risottos and stews!   

How to Make Celery and Lentil Soup

Step one – Fry the celery and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes in a large saucepan.

Step two – Add all the other ingredients. Stir and then cover with boiling water.

Step three – Simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Step four – Blitz in the liquidiser or with a stick blender. Then season to taste, adding more water if needed. Serve your celery and lentil soup with fresh bread. 

Hints, Tips & Variations

• Make soup in larger quantities to last for a couple of days and provide extra for the freezer. Freeze by the portion in microwave-proof containers and take it to work frozen to save any leaks in your bag!
• I used a mix of lentils when I made this, but any type would do. 
• Vary the vegetables. Use cauliflower, leafy greens (add at the end of cooking), celeriac or a wedge of swede for that all important extra veg!

This soup goes well with my root vegetable loaf or this easy beetroot bread. For another simple and tasty soup, try this pea, potato and lemon recipe. 

More Easy Soup Recipes

• Good soup often starts with a soffritto recipe.   Make a big batch, freeze and use every time you make soup.
• Carrot and lentil soup
• Pumpkin and sweet potato soup 
• Swede Soup
• Slow cooker vegetable soup
• Butternut squash soup
• Tomato and lentil soup
• More easy soup recipes

Summer Soup Recipes

• Gazpacho with canned tomatoes
• Pea and lettuce soup
• Salad soup
• Pappa al pomodoro

Tried this recipe?If you try this recipe please tag #FussFreeFlavours on Instagram or Twitter. It is amazing for me when for me when you make one of my recipes and I really do love to see them. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thanks for reading Fuss Free Flavours!

Print Recipe

BookmarkSaved!

5 from 6 votes

Celery & Lentil Soup

A rich and hearty soup that makes the most of celery and is perfect for using up leftover or frozen vegetables.

Servings: 6 Generous bowls

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 head celery (roughly chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
• 200 g (1.0 cups) red lentils (Note 1)
• 1 litre (4.0 cups) stock
• ½ head (2 cups) broccoli (or other vegetables) (Note 2)
• 30 g (1 cups) finely grated hard cheese (Note 3)
• salt and pepper ( to taste)

Instructions

• Fry the celery in the olive oil & butter for a few minutes in a large saucepan.

  Add all garlic and lentils and fry for another minute or two.
• Add the stock, simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
• Add the vegetables, cook for another 5-10 minutes until they are soft.
• Blitz in the liquidiser or with a stick blender.

  Add some more liquid if needed.
• Stir through the cheese, season to taste.

Notes

1 - Any dried lentils or a mix will go here.  I love the both flavour and speed of cooking of red lentils. If you add a different type the cooking time may be longer, and you may need to add more liquid to the soup. 

2 - Different vegetables will work here - frozen or fresh broccoli or cauliflower, or frozen mixed vegetables, about 2 cups worth when prepared.   If it is something that will take longer to cook then add earlier to the simmering lentils.   

3 - You can also use chopped cheese rinds, adding along with the stock, as I did in the original version of this recipe.   However not everyone has a stash of cheese rinds in their freezer, or eats cheese with rinds.  I never throw anything away that has flavour so I always keep them,  

 

This soup freezes well. 

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition Facts

Celery & Lentil Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 126 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Cholesterol 3mg1%

Sodium 279mg12%

Potassium 297mg8%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 275IU6%

Vitamin C 12.9mg16%

Calcium 47mg5%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Celery and Lentil Soup

Delicious Recipes Emailed To You!Get easy, tasty recipes for FREE when you subscribe! Click to Subscribe Now!!

Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in August 2011, but was rewritten and republished with step by step instructions and hints & tips in February 2020. 

Save