Lentil soup in a jar with rice and deep, curry seasonings makes a great gift! It even comes with a free, printable recipe card.
I love giving (and receiving!) food gifts. You can't go wrong with tasty edibles, or mixes, and this layered lentil soup mix that I give out from time to time is always a big hit! Recipients often ask me for the recipe, so that they can make it again.
If you need more DIY food gift ideas, homemade ginger syrup is another popular one!
Recipe notes
This recipe makes one jar of lentil soup mix, but if you're planning to make a lot of these, I recommend doing it assembly line style. Line up all of your ingredients and measuring cups around the table, so you can go from ingredient to ingredient.
Start by adding green lentils and all of your spices to the jar. You can use either powdered or cubed vegetable bouillon in this mix. If you do use cubes, just crumble them, so they'll blend in visually with the other dried spices.
Then, layer on jasmine or basmati rice, and top it off with red lentils.
The amount of red lentils you'll need is going to vary a bit. The key is to make sure that you pack the lentils into the jar tightly. The tighter you pack the jar, the better those pretty layers will hold up!
I'm also including a page of printable recipe cards that you can attach to your jars that tells your giftee how to make the mix. Be sure to print that out. Then, cut out the cards, punch a hole in the corner of a card, and tie it to the jar top with ribbon or twine.
To make the lentil soup
If you want to make this soup for yourself, put all of the jar mix ingredients into a bowl, so they're ready to add when it's time.
Saute onion in a little bit of oil until the onion starts to turn golden. Then, add water and the jar mix.
Simmer the mix with he pan covered until the lentils soften, then stir in a can of coconut milk. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice, and you're ready to dive into a cozy bowl of lentil soup!
Storage directions
The jar mix will keep for up to six months in the pantry.
Store prepared lentil soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to five days.
📖 Recipe
Lentil Soup Mix in a Jar
Equipment
- twine - optional
Ingredients
For the jar mix
- ½ cup green lentils
- 2 teaspoons powdered vegetable bouillon or 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper use ¼ teaspoon or omit for mild
- 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
- ¼ cup red lentils approximate - top the jar off with the red lentils, packing them down well
For the soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion sliced thin
- 8 cups water
- 15 ounce can coconut milk
- salt and lemon juice to taste
Instructions
Make the jar mix
- Add the green lentils to a pint jar, then add the spices and smooth them out. Pour in the rice, and then top the jar off with red lentils. Make sure that you pack the jar tightly, so the pretty layers stay intact!
- Print out the lentil soup recipe card page onto cardstock, cut it up, punch holes, and tie one recipe to each jar with twine.
Make the soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-12 minutes, until the onions start to turn golden.
- Add the water and soup mix to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Turn down to low, and cook, covered, until the lentils and rice are cooked and very soft (about 45 minutes).
- Add the coconut milk, and heat it through. Add salt to taste, and serve. Enjoy!
Video
📝 Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
You don't! One of the reasons that lentils work well for soup mixes like this is that they cook up relatively quickly without needing to soak.
Yeah, it is! Lentils are packed with protein and fiber, and this soup is packed with lentils.
Rice and lentils are a great combination, especially with cozy, warming seasonings like ginger and curry powder.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!