Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup

Any amazing soup recipe is bound to be loaded with protein, veggies, and all the aromatics— And this vegan lentil tortilla soup hits all the marks! It’s a satisfying combination of all purpose lentils, plus all the fixings for tortilla soup too: Black beans, chunky salsa, corn, and peppers are featured. So are onion and garlic (as one would expect) and seasonings like oregano, chili powder, turmeric, and cumin. It’s just a hint spicy, plus creamy thanks to dairy free cashew cream.

To make cashew cream, all you have to do is blend one cup of raw cashews with 1 cup fresh water. With a high speed blender, blend the cashews and water on high for 60-90 seconds, until super smooth and creamy. The cashew cream will lend a silky texture that is easily comparable to heavy cream. And it cools down and balances perfectly against the assorted seasonings and spices simmered into the soup. We like to blend it a bit to make it extra creamy and well combined! Then, it’s laced with fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro: Stir it all together, spoon it up, and dive on in.

Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup chunky salsa
• 1, 14 oz can black beans
• 1, 14 oz can brown lentils
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup corn kernels
• ¾ cup cashew cream
• ½ lime, juiced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, bell pepper, carrots, and jalapeno. Saute until the onions are just tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and saute about 2-3 minutes to cook the garlic.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and saute another couple of minutes.
4. Stir in the salsa, black beans, lentils, and vegetable broth. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5. With an immersion or countertop blender, partially blend the soup for about 15-30 seconds.
6. Stir in the corn, cashew cream, lime juice, and cilantro and cook for another minute.
7. Enjoy warm with toppings like cilantro, jalapenos, tortilla strips, and avocado.