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Au Bon Pain Vegetarian Lentil Soup

If you've ever grabbed lunch at Au Bon Pain, you know their vegetarian lentil soup is absolutely incredible—thick, hearty, and packed with flavor! This copycat version brings that same restaurant-quality taste to your kitchen, and it's so budget-friendly and nutritious that you'll want to keep a batch in your fridge all week long.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 3 celery stalks diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1½ cups dried brown lentils rinsed
  • 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 6-8 minutes until softened.
  2. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Stir and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
  3. Add the rinsed lentils, vegetable broth, and diced tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes until lentils are tender but not mushy.
  5. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
  6. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.