Red lentils don't usually hold up well for long cooking either. They start to break down a bit so soups with them have a creamier mouth feel.
The next soup I'm going to try is this one:
White Bean Chili
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 jalapenos, minced
3 tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
28oz crushed tomatoes
1 c water or veggie stock
4 1/2 c cooked cannellini beans
Add the onion, carrot, peppers, and garlic in a spray of olive oil or a few tbs of water, cover pot and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add spices, stir for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir in beans. Cover and simmer until tender, 45-50 minutes.
Well I have been hungry for chili so I planned to make it for my lunches before the thread. I stuck to my plan and made my "quickie" batch.
I also did some grocery schopping after church and the cheapest soup, other than generic or Campbells condensed, was Healthy Choice at $2 a can today. All the others were $2.50.
So here is the cost for the 7 servings (my soup thermos)....$1.15 per serving. Half price...PLUS...my chili has way more stuff than the others...not saying it's healthier
V-8 Juice $2.50
2 cans organic chili beans $2.00
1 Can Tomatoes with chilie's $1.50
1 pound hamburger bought on sale/bulk $1.00
1 package French's chili mix $1.00
Total ~ $8.00
Now I know I could stretch it out and still have more in my thermos than the canned brands. Another can of tomato sauce and more water I could probably get 10 servings.
Cheaper but.... I wish could still get cans for $1 to $1.25 at the neighborhood grocery. I really don't need to do the Costco trips as much since the kids all ditched us!
my favorite, EASY (because i know you are LAZY!), and suitable for your charlie brown thermos OR your best china:
caraway cauliflower soup
butter or olive oil (just enough to saute the onion)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yukon gold potato (or similar med. size, waxy-ish potato), peeled and diced
1 head cauliflower, separated into florets and chopped
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 quart chicken stock, veg stock, garlic stock, whatever (even water)
lemon
salt
saute the onion in the olive oil or butter (1-3 TBSP, whatever suits you) over medium heat. add caraway seeds and saute until onion is soft (5-10 min). add cauliflower and potato, stir. add stock to cover (and salt as needed. you can always add later) bring to a boil and then simmer til veggies are tender, 20-30 min. puree til smoooooth in batches in a blender (preferred) or use a food processor or immersion blender. reheat in the pot and add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. lemon juice really brightens the flavor if it seems dull.
you can save some of the cauliflower florets from the beginning, if you want, and steam or blanch them and then add them to the soup if you want something to bite in the pureed soup. you can add rye bread croutons (yummy!). chives are nice on top, or whatever herb you want. you can saute a little diced tomato to put on top for some color.
ive made this soup with ginger and powdered coriander instead of the caraway for an indian meal (finished with cilantro.) basically anything will probably work in this formula, though the caraway is so nice and unusual:
saute onion and choice of herb/spice/seasoning
add chopped cauliflower and potato (or whatever veggie you want. i make carrot soup this way a lot, without potato- just sliced carrots- great with cumin and mint)
add broth
simmer
puree
add lemon, salt, etc to taste
it is low calorie, low fat, but creamy deliciousness!!!!!
GAZPACCHO anyone
6 tomatoes diced,2 cucumbers peeled and diiced,1 6oz jar roasted red peppers drained ,2 jalepenos seeded and diced[I leave seeds I like hot],2cloves garlic[or equivilent],1 onion chopped,2 cups tomatoe juice[I use low sodium], 1/2 cup lime juice,2 tsp cumin,,1/2tsp cayenne pepper,1/2 cup chopped cilantro.....mix in bowl then put in blender or food processerand blend chill and HOPE YOU ENJOY I love this cold soup only 50 calories a cup great with a sand or a salad.
I'm veg, but here's a link to a tortilla soup I modified (tofu instead of chicken).
This wild mushroom bisque recipe is already veganized (using soy milk) but you can put cream in instead (and to make it less fancy, you can use regular onions instead of shallots).
The most expensive ingredient in this totellini and spinach soup is the tortellini, but it makes a lot, and anything that gets more leafy greens in my diet is worth it to me!
This is "regular" tomato soup, but adding sun-dried tomato gives it unepected depth of flavour. Since it's from a vegan recipe book, potatoes are added to give it "creamy" texture (and happens to reduce the calories too). Use cream instead if you prefer it.
(I hope the link works--it's a "book preview", select pages of the book posted online. Give me a shout if it dosn't work for you and I'll dig up a link for a similar recipe.)
per serving. Half price...PLUS...my chili has way more stuff than the others...not saying it's healthier 
