Friday 27 March 2015

hearty and filling lentil, tomato and carrot soup






























hearty and filling lentil, tomato and carrot soup

I am very particular when it comes to soup. I like my soup nice and thick - and it doesn't come much thicker than this!

The lentils in this soup are a food superhero - high in fibre, protein, vitamins C & B and a source of iron, so it's an easy way to introduce lentils into your diet if you haven't eaten them much before. 

It's also one of the easiest soup recipes I know, and vibrantly orange, which is always fun!

Serves 4 (I freeze portions of this regularly)

130g red split lentils
2 medium carrots
1 large onion 
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
400ml boiling water 
1 veggie stock cube
1 tsp of marmite (if you have it)
1 tsp olive oil 
1 clove garlic (2 if you love it)

pitta bread or toast to serve 

1. Chop up the onion nice and small, and with the olive oil, gently cook the onions in the biggest soup pan you've got 

2. When the onions are looking soft and are going more see-through, add the chopped garlic. Grate the carrots either onto a plate then into the pan or straight into the pan. This makes them cook quicker and it'll whizz up easier later. 

3. Bring 400ml water to the boil (this is around 2 mug-fuls of water). Add to the pan and crumble in the stock cube with it. Dump in the tin of chopped tomatoes too and lastly the lentils. Give it all a big mix in the pan

4. Using a teaspoon, get a blob of marmite and then swirl the spoon in the pan (don't burn yourself) until the marmite slides off. Give another big mix with a wooden spoon. 

5. Bring this up to the boil on a medium heat, then turn it down so it's just simmering for about 15-20 minutes. 

6. When the lentils are soft and don't have a 'bite' to them, take the soup off the heat. Now is the time to whizz it to a smoother consistency. I ladle it out into my nutribullet jug and whizz it per portion, but if you have a stick blender you can use in the pan, or a food processor to pour the soup into, you can do that too. If you are a total soup philistine, you can eat it without being blended! 

7. Pop some pitta breads or bread into the toaster, pour the soup into bowls and season with pepper if you want. 

8. Eat, and enjoy the nice warm glow in your tummy for having hot, hearty and healthy soup!


Do you have a favourite soup recipe, or an interesting way to use lentils?



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