Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup Recipe -

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup Recipe

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup is a warming filling soup, packed with flavour. Perfect for a cosy lunch or supper.

Course Lunch

Cuisine Vegetarian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Servings

Calories 112kcal

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (195g) finely chopped
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced or put through a garlic press
A small handful of fresh cilantro/coriander leaves removed and stems finely chopped
1 heaped tsp Garam Masala
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried red chili flakes (red pepper flakes)
3 large carrots (.92lb/415g) topped and tailed, peeled then roughly chopped
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes / 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes (UK)
4 cups of vegetable stock (900ml) or vegetable broth
¾ cup of red split lentils (100g)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Greek yoghurt and cilantro leaves to serve

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and celery and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic the chopped cilantro/coriander stems along with ¼ teaspoon of dried red chilli flakes, 1 heaped teaspoon each of Garam Masala and ground cumin. Stir well and cook for just one minute, any longer and the spices will burn.
Add the chopped carrots and pour in the chopped tomatoes and the vegetable stock.
Stir everything together then add the lentils. Stir well, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. The soup is ready once the carrots are tender and the lentils are cooked.
Blend the soup with a hand-held blender until it is smooth. Finely chop the cilantro/coriander leaves.
Serve it with a good dollop of Greek yoghurt, chopped cilantro/coriander and some good crusty bread.

Nutritional Information - information listed is approximate and is calculated using an online nutrition tool. It does not include Greek yoghurt or bread. If you want to reduce the calories in this then you could swap the olive oil for a couple of sprays of olive oil. You could also use fat-free Greek yoghurt as a topping.
Carrots - I use large orange carrots for this, they are always peeled for this recipe.
Lentils - Red split lentils are a great choice for this soup. They are a store cupboard ingredient and are really cheap. You could use canned green lentils if you wish, please be aware that the colour of the soup may be different to that pictured of you use green lentils. If you want to use Puy lentils I would blend the soup first then add the lentils and cook until they are hot.
Stock - I make my vegetable stock using a low sodium vegan vegetable bouillon. Any premade stock will do but I would try and keep it low sodium and double-check the packed to make sure it is vegetarian/vegan.
Can I make it Gluten-Free? Yes, just make sure the stock you use is gluten-free.
Is it Vegan? Yes, the soup itself is vegan, I haven't categorized it as vegan as I have included Greek yoghurt as a topping.
Can I Freeze this Soup? Yes, leave the soup to cool then transfer it to freezer-friendly bags or containers. Label the containers then pop in the freezer. Defrost the soup overnight in the fridge then reheat on the hob until piping hot.