Red Lentil and Spinach Soup from Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Here in the Kitchen, we love soup! (In fact, we celebrated it last month when we gathered Around the Kitchen Table and talked about some of our favorites.)

This soup is full of flavor and all the goodness (and vitamins!) of fall vegetables. It’s thick and comforting, and just what the body needs in winter. We loved the chunky texture of soft lentils and veggies, though if you prefer a creamier soup, use a blender or immersion blender before adding the spinach. And it’s great for vegetarians, vegans, and those who eat gluten-free. 

Like most of us, I suspect, I don’t usually make my own vegetable stock, buying it in cartons. Those tend to be 32 ounces or 4 cups, so for this, I used one carton and 2 cups of water, not wanting to leave half a box in the fridge. With so many veggies in the mix, I didn’t think we lost any flavor through the substitution. 

In my Spice Shop mysteries, Pepper often says smoked paprika may be her favorite spice, “but don’t tell the others.” The generous amount used here adds to the lovely red color of the lentils, and gives a smoky flavor I love. If you’re worried about heat, make sure you’re using smoked sweet paprika; the amount of cumin is enough for flavor without heat. 

The lemon adds a bit of brightness, but be careful, as it can quickly overwhelm other flavors. A few drops in each bowl is plenty. The zest is a delight. 

Serve with cheesy bread and enjoy!

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing. 

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grated ginger, fresh or jarred

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery (2 stalks) 

1 cup diced carrot (about 2 carrots, depending on size)

1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 1/4 cup diced white or yellow potato (roughly one large)

1 1/2 cups red lentils

6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

4 cups baby spinach

1 lemon zested and cut into wedges

In a stock pot, over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and ginger and saute 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant, but stopping before the garlic changes color. 

Add the onion and celery and sauté an additional 4-5 minutes, until the onions become translucent. 

Add carrots, paprika, cumin, and salt. Stir well and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes and lentils, and stir well to coat with the spices. 

Pour in 4 cups of stock. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until lentils and potatoes are soft. 

Add spinach and remaining 2 cups stock (or water). Cover and cook until spinach is wilted, 3 - 5 minutes. Taste and add additional salt if needed. 

Spoon into bowls. Add a quick squeeze of lemon and top with about ½ teaspoon of lemon zest.  

Serves 6. 

Is it soup weather in your neck of the woods? What are your favorites? 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .  

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills. 

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket. 

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf. 

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook 

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.  

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine. 

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