Tomato and lentil soup
This simple soup is flavoured with warm spices, then blended to a velvety smooth texture and topped with yogourt. Serve it as a fast and sustaining lunch with nan bread or other lightly toasted bread of your choice.
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time |
| 4servings | 20minutes | 45minutes |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4servings | 20minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 45minutes |
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 5 1/3 cups diluted salt-reduced or homemade vegetable stock
- 1/2 a 796ml can Roma tomatoes
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- Yogourt Topping
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1/3 Greek-style yogourt
Servings: servings
Units:
|
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
|
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pot. Add the onion and cook over a low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Stir in the celery and carrot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the lentils, stock, tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, then half cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the lentils and vegetables are very soft.
- Meanwhile, to make the yogourt topping, stir the chopped cilantro into the yogourt.
- Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Blend the soup in the pot using a hand-held blender, or tip into a blender or food processor, process until smooth, then return the soup to the pot. Check the consistency; it will be fairly thick, so if you prefer it thinner, dilute with a little more stock or some water. Season to taste, then reheat until just bubbling. Serve drizzled with some of the yogourt topping.
Recipe Notes
Cook's tip: If you are preparing the soup ahead of time, add the cilantro yogourt just before serving.
Variation: For a spicy lentil and parsnip soup, stir in 1⁄4 teaspoon chili flakes with the spices and add 250 grams (1⁄2 lb) roughly chopped parsnips instead of the celery.
Each serving: 7 g protein, 7 g fat of which 2 g saturates, 17.5 g carbohydrate, 5 g fibre, 173 Calories
