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I love a good, hearty, one pot meal. This ultimate bean and lentil soup is a full meal loaded with tons of healthy vegetables and lots of fiber. The lentils and beans provide all the protein you could ask for as well.

For this ultimate bean and lentil soup you can really use whatever beans you already have. I always like to use a can of red kidney beans but the second can can be any other can you already have. I used black beans because that’s what I always have on hand. This soup is meant to be easy to throw together, maybe completely without even going to the store! So don’t get hung up on which beans are best.

For a vegan friendly option simply swap the beef broth for vegetable broth and the worcestershire sauce for a vegan worcestershire, coconut aminos, or soy sauce if your diet allows soy. You could also use an asian mushroom sauce, a common substitute for oyster sauce, if you happen to have it lying around. Basically, you’re just trying to add a bump of umami, especially if you’re not using the beef broth. Traditional worcestershire sauce is made from anchovies but many cheaper brands are actually vegan already since they leave out that more expensive ingredient.

Many bean soups often rely on tomatoes for umami as well. Since this is a nightshade free ultimate beand and lentil soup tomatoes are not allowed. That’s why I recommend the beef broth above other options if your diet does allow it. However, if you make your own vegetable broth you can add plenty of mushrooms to the stock to give it a much heartier umami flavor than a store bought brand may have.

What is Umami?

Umami is that other flavor. You have sweet, sour, salty, and bitter but then there’s umami. It’s often described as savory or meaty. Meat is the most abundant source of umami flavor but some vegetables are umami as well. Tomatoes, mushrooms, avocados, and many fermented vegetables contain the glutamates required to trigger the umami receptors in the tongue.

Fish sauce is widely recognized as one of the easiest ways to add a boost of umami to your dishes. Worcestershire sauce is the American fish sauce. However, since it’s often marketed as fancier than it really is you have to be very careful with imitation sauces full of trigger ingredients like corn or potato starch. Buying fish sauce from an Asian market is much safer as the ingredients are much simpler.

Ingredients

2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
½ tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp black pepper
3-4 tsp salt, or to taste
1 cup chopped green beans, fresh or frozen is fine just bring to room temperature first
1 cup dried lentils
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, black beans, or navy beans drained and rinsed
6 cups beef broth
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

heat a large soup pot over medium low heat, drizzle with olive oil
add carrots, celery, and onion to the hot pot, saute for about 10 minutes until onions become translucent
add garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute 2 minutes longer
add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil
lower heat to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes, until lentils are soft
remove bay leaves and serve hot