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    Home » lentil

    1 Pot Red Lentil Tortilla Soup – Instant Pot/Saucepan

    Published: Mar 23, 2017 · Modified: Mar 20, 2019 by Richa 66 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 Minutes! Make it in a saucepan or Instant Pot. Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soyfree Nut-free Recipe. Jump to Recipe   

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 Minutes! Make it in a saucepan or Instant Pot. Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. | VeganRicha.com

    This easy 1 pot tortilla soup has red lentils, peppers, tomato, veggies that you want and a few spices. Put everything in a saucepan and simmer until done. I like red lentils in this soup as they cook quicker and make for a lighter dinner. Beans can be an issue for some for dinner, and this works out perfectly. You can also add in some uncooked washed quinoa while simmering. Add veggies of choice and serve with garnishes of choice. See Video Below.

    Few ingredients, 1 pot, filling and quick. whats your favorite addition to tortilla soups? 

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 minutes! Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe Vegetarian Tortilla Soup | VeganRicha.com

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 minutes! Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. #Vegan #Glutenfree #Soyfree #Nutfree #Recipe #Vegetarian #TortillaSoup #veganricha | VeganRicha.com

    Serve this with 100% Whole Grain Dinner Rolls, Gluten-free Garlic rolls, tortilla strips or biscuits.


    More 1 Pot Soups 

    • Broccoli Slaw Soup, 
    • Turkish lentil soup,
    • Turmeric Laksa Curry Soup with fresh turmeric root,
    • 15 min Indian Spiced tomato Soup, 
    • Minestrone
    • Mushroom chickpea greens soup.

    If you make this simple soup, do tag me on Instagram!

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 minutes! Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe Vegetarian Tortilla Soup | VeganRicha.comEasy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 minutes! Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe Vegetarian Tortilla Soup | VeganRicha.com

    What lentils to use in this tortilla soup

    There are so many different lentils and names for them. Red Lentils come in various varieties. Red whole and unskinned lentils look brown and are called Indian brown or brown lentils, which take about 30 minutes to cook in a saucepan. When skinned, they are whole red lentils, called red lentils(!), take about 18 to 22 minutes. These are not as easily available. When skinned and split, they are called red lentils or masoor dal, which are quick cooking (11 to 13 mins) and are easily available. I use the split red lentils in this tortilla soup.

    In recipes and shops the split and whole red lentils are often used interchangeably. There are many recipes on the blog that use red lentils by which I mean the split red lentils. Either will work here, the whole red lentils will just take a few minutes longer to cook. 

    Video:

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 Minutes! Make it in a saucepan or Instant Pot. Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. | VeganRicha.com
    Print Recipe
    4.96 from 24 votes

    1 Pot Lentil Tortilla Soup (Instant Pot or Saucepan)

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 minutes! Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. To double, double everything except water. Start with a bit less than double water/liquid.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Gluten-free, Vegan
    Servings: 3
    Calories: 225kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    • 1 tsp oil
    • 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped red onion
    • 3 to 4 cloves of garlic minced
    • 1 jalapeno minced (optional)
    • 1/2 cup (74.5 g) chopped green bell pepper
    • 1/2 cup (74.5 g) chopped red bell pepper
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) ground cumin
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) oregano and thyme
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) smoked paprika
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cayenne or chipotle pepper powder or both
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic powder
    • 1/2 cup (90 g) red lentils quick cooking lentils - masoor dal, washed and drained
    • 2 cups (500 ml) water or broth
    • 2 large tomatoes finely chopped, or 1.5 cup crushed tomatoes from a can
    • 1 to 2 tbsp tomato paste
    • 1/2 to 1 cup water or broth
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) or more salt
    • 1 cup cooked black beans
    • Crumbled tortilla chips for garnish avocado and other garnishes and lime juice

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes Add jalapeno, bell peppers and mix and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
    • Add the spices and herbs and mix in. Add a pinch of allspice or loves for additional flavor if you wish. Add the washed and drained lentils and water and cook for 11 to 12 minutes or until al dente.
    • Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well. Add other additions such as 1/2 cup corn or cooked black beans or other beans, veggies, some chopped up corn tortilla at this point. (I make the soup with or without beans , pictured without beans). Cook for 10 minutes or until desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
    • Add a dash of lime juice, garnish with chips, avocado, cilantro. See IP instructions in Notes.

    Video

    Notes

    Instant Pot: Saute the onion, garlic, jalapeno and peppers for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and a total of 2 cups of water. Close the lid on sealing and cook on manual for 3 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Taste and adjust, garnish and serve.
     
    Nutrition is 1 of 2 serves

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    1 Pot Lentil Tortilla Soup (Instant Pot or Saucepan)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 225 Calories from Fat 18
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 2g3%
    Sodium 506mg22%
    Potassium 862mg25%
    Carbohydrates 39g13%
    Fiber 16g67%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 14g28%
    Vitamin A 1850IU37%
    Vitamin C 75.7mg92%
    Calcium 63mg6%
    Iron 4.3mg24%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Easy Tortilla Soup with Red lentils. 1 Pot 30 Minutes! Make it in a saucepan or Instant Pot. Add veggies of choice, garnish with tortilla chips or avocado. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. | VeganRicha.com

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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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    1. Beth

      December 27, 2022 at 2:30 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this for dinner- quick, easy and delicious! Seasonings are perfect, as usual 🙂

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        December 28, 2022 at 10:51 am

        Thank you for the kind comment!

        Reply
    2. J'Ana

      February 01, 2022 at 12:10 pm

      This looks like a great recipe and I am excited to try it! Recipe says it makes 3 servings, so is the nutritional value calculated for 1/3 of the total pot of soup?
      Thanks for clarifying.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        February 05, 2022 at 8:58 am

        yes

        Reply
    3. Elsie

      January 12, 2022 at 3:04 pm

      5 stars
      This soup is a winner in my house. My child loves it too. I do the version with black beans and add chopped kale at the end. I love it with a splash of lime, tortilla chips, avocado, and shredded vegan cheese.

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 12, 2022 at 7:17 pm

        Yum

        Reply
    4. Heather

      January 02, 2022 at 10:29 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe as written. Today I really wanted some, but didn’t have peppers, so I subbed sweet potatoes and added corn. Instapot for 5 mins. Excellent!

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 02, 2022 at 11:15 am

        Awesome!

        Reply
    5. Sarah

      November 18, 2021 at 10:39 pm

      Wonderful recipe. I doubled everything and added a jalapeño and Serrano. Hubby keeps asking me to make this one.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 22, 2021 at 5:37 pm

        those serranos though 🌶 🌶

        Reply
    6. Sylie

      November 10, 2021 at 4:34 pm

      5 stars
      I LOVE this recipe! Simple prep and cooks so fast in the instant pot. We all love customizing with toppings like sour cream, cheese, tortilla, avocado, cilantro. I also throw in finely chopped kale after its cooked for extra veggies!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 11, 2021 at 1:16 pm

        sounds fun

        Reply
    7. Sylvia

      November 09, 2021 at 6:16 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this with some variations, water sautéed onion, garlic, green bell pepper. I did not have thyme so used one bay leaf, no black beans so added one cup red lentils, no red pepper but added one Serrano pepper in addition to one jalapeño, pretty much doubled the seasonings, used about 3 tablespoons tomato paste. I ended up using about 5 cups of water with a little better then boullion vegetable broth. Set it in the instant pot no need to add lime or cilantro cause the flavor was spot on. I ate 2 cups , came out nice and creamy just the way I like it. This made alot of soup so definitely have about 2-3 nights more for dinner. Dipped oil free baked tortilla chips. It was really good. Definitely a keeper, thank you.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 11, 2021 at 1:03 pm

        spot on!

        Reply
    8. Tia

      October 04, 2021 at 12:11 pm

      5 stars
      I have made this so many times and I love it. I usually double the recipe and use white bean. I’ve paired this with rice, pasta, bread- and each combination worked well! Thank you so much for this great recipe!

      Reply
    9. Theresa

      May 10, 2021 at 9:27 pm

      5 stars
      So good! I had two servings and my husband had 3!!

      Reply
    10. Kellie

      February 14, 2021 at 8:37 am

      5 stars
      My new favorite soup! I tried this because I needed to find high protein foods to cook for my elderly mom. I’d never tried red lentils before and wasn’t sure whether we would like them, but they are super high in protein, so I gave this a try. Wow! It was fast and easy to make, and truly delicious! I omitted the green bell pepper and jalepenos as they wouldn’t sit well with my mom. Instead of water, I used chicken stock (not broth, as stock has more protein). I also added some cooked shredded chicken for more protein (I cooked the chicken separately in my Instant Pot earlier) . It was outstanding! I’m an Instant Pot girl, but this soup is so fast and easy to make on the stove that I felt no need for the IP. The soup is just as tasty without chicken. I only added chicken to give it more protein for my mom’s diet. If you like tortilla soup, definitely give this a try!

      Reply
    11. Shelley

      January 18, 2021 at 6:38 pm

      5 stars
      Probably the best soup I’ve even eaten. Definitely the best soup I’ve ever made.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        January 19, 2021 at 5:09 pm

        wow!!!!

        Reply
    12. Cynthia

      November 10, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe today. I was generous with the spices, used vegetable broth in place of water, blended three tomatoes with a little broth instead of diced tomatoes, added corn . I also had the time to make my own tortilla strips in the oven. The cilantro and lime juice adds so much flavor. Both of my picky eaters had a bowl. This will be in weekly rotation at my house during the cold, rainy weather. Loved it so much I even walked some over to my friend who also enjoys vegan food. Thank you !

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 12, 2020 at 9:53 am

        that sounds great! thanks for stopping by

        Reply
    13. Lynn

      October 25, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      5 stars
      This is delicious! When my husband (meat eater) has seconds, it’s a winner! I made it in my IP, so quick and easy too. Thank you 👍

      Reply
    14. Fusion

      June 17, 2020 at 11:58 pm

      5 stars
      Prepared with whatever available … Tasty ! Thanks Richa

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        June 18, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        So glad!

        Reply
    15. Sandra

      March 07, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      This is a delicious and filling soup. I subbed a cubanelle pepper for jalapeño. Just the right heat and lots of flavor!

      Reply
    16. Melissa Britton

      September 09, 2019 at 7:42 am

      Hi. I would like to cook this is a sauce pan and double the recipe. I am confused about the amount of water to use…since it is stovetop, do I double the amount of water? Is the note about not doubling the water refer to cooking in the instant pot? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Richa

        September 09, 2019 at 10:55 am

        thats for stove top, use a bit less than double water (1/2 cup less) and double everything else.

        Reply
    17. Lani

      July 12, 2019 at 5:26 pm

      OMG..It was terrific..I tripled it. I used 5 cups of water and it came out more like a stew but I liked it that way. I used 2 jalapeños and 1 tsp of smoked paprika, and 1/2 tsp of chipotle powder. Other than that I tripled everything…yummy yummy

      Reply
      • Richa

        July 12, 2019 at 5:36 pm

        yay!

        Reply
    18. lani

      July 10, 2019 at 5:55 pm

      If you double or triple this should you be double or triple everything? If you triple, use the 8 qt?

      Reply
      • Richa

        July 10, 2019 at 11:12 pm

        you’ll need a bit less water and a bit less heat than double, triple. cooking time will remain the same. For triple, add an extra minute

        Reply
    19. Hope

      March 19, 2019 at 3:35 pm

      5 stars
      So yummy and easy. My whole family loved it. Thank you for a great recipe!

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 19, 2019 at 4:42 pm

        yay

        Reply
    20. Vegan Sweta

      December 10, 2018 at 8:51 am

      5 stars
      I have made this recipe so many times, without any oil or tortilla chips.

      I don’t bother with the amounts listed here, I always double it and eat it for a couple of meals.

      Thanks Richa!

      Reply
      • Molly

        July 30, 2022 at 6:08 am

        5 stars
        Very easy and delicious! Like others, made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand (white onion instead of red, garlic powder instead of fresh, one whole red bell pepper), but otherwise followed as instructed for the Instant Pot. Served over leftover brown rice and topped with cilantro, lime & tortilla chips. Will make great leftovers.

        Reply
        • Vegan Richa Support

          August 02, 2022 at 12:22 pm

          yummy, perfect for leftovers

          Reply
    21. Heather

      November 28, 2018 at 8:46 pm

      4 stars
      Simple, filling and quick. From prep to table in about 30 minutes with the Instant Pot. We were out of jalapeños so I substituted a few Thai chilies and a small can of diced green chilies and it had a nice heat to it.

      Reply
    22. Diane Weaver

      May 17, 2018 at 5:35 pm

      I don’t have an instapot. Could this be made in a slow cooker?

      Reply
      • Richa

        May 17, 2018 at 7:15 pm

        its a stove top saucepan recipe with instant pot option. it takes 0 mins on the stove. It an probably be made in a slow cooker, i just dont know the times

        Reply
    23. Tony

      April 26, 2018 at 3:59 pm

      5 stars
      I made this soup and loved it ❤️Great recipe

      Reply
    24. Brenda J

      February 21, 2018 at 4:09 pm

      5 stars
      Another winner in our house. Your recipes are quickly becoming our favorite! Your spice combinations are spot on.

      Reply
      • Richa

        February 21, 2018 at 5:36 pm

        awesome!

        Reply
    25. Jenna

      January 22, 2018 at 9:02 am

      I’m new to using an Instant Pot, and I’m a little confused by the note. It says to add a total of 2 cups of water or broth. Is that in addition to the 2.5-3 cups water/broth already in the recipe? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 22, 2018 at 10:01 am

        no just 2 cups of water. For the saucepan you need the additional 1/2 to 1 cup more as the water evaporates. Water stays in in the Instant Pot, so generally you need less water than saucepan. So add rest of the ingredients except water, and 2 cups of water

        Reply
    26. amy

      January 02, 2018 at 10:55 pm

      5 stars
      My 5 year old hates entire categories of food including soup and stirfry. He loved this though and requested that I make it tomorrow as well. We omitted the jalepeno and cayenne to make it more kid friendly. Great, quick recipe.

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 02, 2018 at 11:10 pm

        yay! that sounds awesome!

        Reply
    27. kristin

      November 03, 2017 at 7:28 am

      One word “amazing” thank you for sharing!!

      Reply
    28. Sharon

      October 08, 2017 at 5:39 pm

      Absolutely delicious…warm, spicy, filling, and comforting!

      Reply
    29. Davol

      July 02, 2017 at 6:42 pm

      I make this soup regularly and it’s DIVINE! Thank you Richa ????

      Reply
    30. Zoe

      June 25, 2017 at 2:29 am

      5 stars
      This was so tasty and easy, thank you! I used chipotle chilli with adobo in place of jalepinos and it was great!

      Reply
    31. Cherie

      May 01, 2017 at 8:38 pm

      Richa, love your recipes! I will make this soup for this week. I was going to just make lentil veg soup then this one came up in my newsfeed and changed my mind!

      Reply
    32. Christina

      May 01, 2017 at 4:33 pm

      I was just wondering how I was going to convert it to the Instant Pot when I saw your note at the bottom! Thank you! I can’t wait to try it!

      Reply
    33. Janna

      April 09, 2017 at 2:23 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! Huge hit with the whole family.

      Reply
    34. Marissa

      March 29, 2017 at 10:31 am

      5 stars
      Amazing even using onion powder instead of onion. Added chick peas too!

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 29, 2017 at 10:30 pm

        AWesome!

        Reply
    35. Shawna

      March 26, 2017 at 10:05 am

      5 stars
      Super easy and satisfying. I used poblano peppers instead of jalepenos and used chickpeas as my add in. Turned out really well!

      Reply
    36. Muchi

      March 26, 2017 at 6:06 am

      5 stars
      Just made this, and … wow! Delicious. Richa you are my favourite cook by a long way. Every recipe I have made of yours has been outstanding. Whenever my non-vegan family comes to visit I cook up something new of yours, and they are always bowled away. Indeed, they often say their favourite food is when they come to visit me. Needless to say, though, they wouldn’t consider becoming vegan for even a minute. Interesting logic. Anyhow, as I always say: let the world travel its path, and we will travel ours.
      Thank you, Richa, for all the inspiration, and the endlessly yummy food.

      Reply
      • Christine

        October 05, 2019 at 7:34 am

        Hey Muchi, too bad that Richa didn’t reply to your comment, I loved it : )

        Reply
      • Richa

        October 05, 2019 at 11:49 am

        Thank You!!!

        Reply
    37. Richa

      March 24, 2017 at 1:48 pm

      yay! thanks!

      Reply
    38. Marta

      March 23, 2017 at 6:15 pm

      Hi Richa!
      The stars aligned today, I got all the ingredients and some time to cook (it doesn’t always happen, especially both at the same time) and made this.
      Easy, simple and delicious, as are many of your recipes.
      Thank you!

      Reply
    39. Darlene

      March 23, 2017 at 5:53 pm

      Where is the tortillas? Its name is Lentil Tortilla Soup.

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 24, 2017 at 1:44 pm

        They are the garnish. Not in the pictures, coz I ran out 🙂

        Reply
    40. Julia

      March 23, 2017 at 5:42 pm

      Just wondering what makes this a tortilla soup?

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 23, 2017 at 5:54 pm

        I forgot to mention Tortilla Chips in the garnish. Added now. I used some corn noodly strips instead for the pictures.

        Reply

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