Lentil Curry Soup In A Jar – Easy & Inexpensive Gift
This soup in a jar recipe is a simple and thoughtful way to share a hearty lentil curry soup mix that anyone can make with ease. The layers look beautiful, the ingredients are budget-friendly, and the finished soup is cozy and flavorful. It’s an easy homemade gift that feels meaningful while staying practical – and also is a great option to keep on your shelves for a quick meal on busy days.
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I really love food gifts in jars to give to people, AND I love the idea of making jars of mixes to keep on our shelves for quick meals in busy seasons. But a quick search for gift in jars produces mostly sweet foods, which are great, but are not going to provide you with a meal.
And that’s where this soup in a jar comes in – the mix of two ingredients plus seasonings is simple to put together, the soup is easy to make, and it can sit on a shelf for up to a year in wait for the perfect time to come to the dinner rescue.
OR it can make a wonderful gift any time of the year as well as a meal to someone in need or new parents, house warming, etc. Especially when paired with a bread in a jar – maybe even wrapped in a tea towel all set in a basket that can be used for storage later.
The best part (to me at least) is that it’s a meaningful and thoughtful gift that people can actually use but it’s not expensive, even with an added towel and basket (for those think Dollar Tree and thrift stores). This makes it pretty doable for everyone, which is why I’ve got a growing collection of food gifts in jars going on.
Useful, no-waste, thoughtful, and super delicious, this red and yellow lentil curry soup in a jar has it all, whether used for a gift or to keep on in your pantry.
Ingredients for jars
Note: Detailed quantities and instructions for the mix are included in the full recipe card below.
Here’s what you’ll need to make the soup mix with some variations and notes on the ingredients:
- Red and yellow lentils: While the colorful layers are pretty, these two types of lentils also cook faster than brown or green lentils, so you can’t interchange them and still keep the directions the same. You can, however, use only red or yellow lentils if you can only find one kind. (I found the best price for these lentils at a local store with self-serve bins.)
- Sun dried tomatoes: You’ll need the kind that are not oil-packed like these yummy ones, of course – look for the type that are fully dried and would need rehydrating before using. (I did find dried tomato halves in the same store with the bins – I just chopped them – and also found a decent price online here already chopped.)
- Seasonings: Curry powder (choose hot or mild, depending), turmeric, a dried chili pepper, and salt.
Directions for Making Jar
- Add the lentils to a quart size jar, alternating layers of red and yellow lentils if you’re using both colors.
- Add a layer of chopped, dried tomatoes.
- In a small baggie, place the curry powder, turmeric, and salt. Close with a twist tie.
- Place the baggie and dried chili pepper on top of the tomato layer.
- Attach a lid to seal the jar, print out the tags you can download below, and attach one to the jar with ribbon or twine.
Download the Lentil Curry Soup in a Jar Tags
Click on the image of the tags below to open in a new window and download to your computer. (Or click here to open.)
How to Print & Cut Out Tags
- There are two pages to the PDF, the soup name on front and the cooking instructions on the back – print the two pages back to back on your printer.
- Use a heavyweight paper or light cardstock for best results.
- You may notice that the front and back tags don’t match up exactly (a-hem), but it doesn’t matter after cutting. Cut from the front side first along the lines and then trim any white you see on the back after cutting out. It all works out!
- Use a hole punch in the corner to make the tag hole to thread your ribbon through.
Ideas for Gifting
You can of course give this on it’s own, but if you’d like to pair it with something, here are some ideas:
- Wooden spoon and tea towel.
- A loaf of bread (either yeast artisan bread or sourdough artisan), maybe in a beeswax-lined bread bag (I love mine!).
- A set of colorful soup bowls (these bowls even have lids for meal prep).
- A basket like these kraft paper gift baskets or these cute rope baskets (that they can use for storage after) to hold the jar and anything else you’d like to add.
- Package with another jar gift: Make a meal basket with a jar bread mix (this focaccia in a jar or this whole wheat beer bread mix which can be made without alcohol) and maybe also a jar of cookie mix (pick any one from this list of gifts in jars).
I’d love to know when you make this and what you thought so be sure to leave a rating and review when you do!
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Lentil Curry Soup In A Jar
Equipment
- 1 quart glass jar
- tag and ribbon/twine
- large soup pot for cooking later
Ingredients
For Jar:
- 1 cup red lentils*
- 1 cup yellow lentils*
- 1/4 cup chopped dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large dried chili pepper or two small dried peppers
To Add Later:
- 3 tablespoons butter or ghee
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 8 cups chicken broth or water
Instructions
To Make Jar:
- Add the lentils to a quart size jar, alternating layers of red and yellow lentils if you're using both colors.
- Add a layer of chopped, dried tomatoes.
- In a small baggie, place the curry powder, turmeric, and salt. Close with a twist tie.
- Place the baggie and dried chili pepper on top of the tomato layer.
- Attach a lid to seal the jar, print out the tags you can download below, and attach one to the jar with ribbon or twine.
To Make Soup:
- In a 4-quart or larger soup pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté about 5 minutes until soft.
- Sprinkle in the contents of the spice bag and the dried chili. Stir with the onion mixture for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients from the jar along with 8 cups of chicken broth or water. Heat to boiling over high heat, lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook 30 to 45 minutes, or until lentils are tender
Notes
- Jars of sealed soup mix can be stored about 8-12 months.
- After making soup, store in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze in 1-cup portions for longer storage, up to 6 months.
Nutrition
FAQs
Of course not – use your discretion according to who you’ll be giving the jar to. The benefit of the separate dried chili is that whoever you give it to can decide to leave it out or not, too.
Jars of sealed soup mix can be stored about 8-12 months.
After making soup, store in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze in 1-cup portions for longer storage, up to 6 months.
This really depends on where you buy your lentils. I bought mine at a local store with self-serve bins, so they were about $2.50 to $3.00 a pound. Online I have seen these lentils $5 and up per pound. In my example (I also bought dried tomatoes in the bins), I calculated the cost at about $4.00 for the jar.
No, brown and green lentils will need longer to cook so the tags for the jars won’t be accurate. That said, you can make this soup with those lentils and just add another 20-30 minutes to the cooking time.
More Inexpensive Food Mix Jars
- Rosemary Focaccia Bread In A Jar (+ Printable Tags)
- Oat & Whole Wheat Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix (+ Printable Tags)
- Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies in a Jar + Printable Tags
You can click here to see all my published gifts in jars, from savory to sweet!
You mention a ‘download printable tag’ but I cannot find the link?? Could you please send me the link.
Thank you, Anne.
Sure, Anne – the link is included in the tag image when you clicked on it. 🙂 Click Here to open.
Thank you!