My family all love making soup, consequently we are prolific soup makers. In short, my parents taught me how to make a great bowl of soup, it was a staple part of my diet growing up. My parents had a huge vegetable garden and as a result we ate fresh seasonal produce, hence lots of soup. The smell of Scotch Broth bubbling on the stove-top immediately evokes memories of my Dad cooking broth on a Saturday night for Sunday’s lunch.
Hence to this day I continue to make lots of soup on a weekly basis. After all is there a better way to load in extra vegetables for our 5-a-day? Given the choice for lunch, more often than not I have a pan of soup at the ready. Furthermore, soup is the perfect food to serve on a night where I’m juggling dinner between children’s activities and my husband coming home from work. Always homemade as I can’t abide tinned soup.
My youngest daughter is challenging to cook for (I’m putting this very politely). She loves lentil soup, there was a time when she would only eat soup if it was orange. I’m glad she settled on this colour as it’s surprising just how much soup you can make that has a good orange hue to it! However, we were all getting a bit fed up with basic lentil so I decided to spice things up a bit.
This soup is a basic tomato and lentil soup, however I’ve added some lovely spice to boost the taste. I’ve blitzed the soup so that the tomato isn’t evident as I wanted everyone eating!
A creamy element can be added to the soup therefore softening the spice. Simply stir through a spoon of yogurt before serving, alternatively use coconut milk if following a Vegan diet.
spicy tomato & lentil soup
A creamy tomato and lentil soup with a good punch of spice, perfect for crisp autumn days when the weather is just that bit chilly outside.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 sticks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 5 cm root ginger grated
- 2 red chillies de-seeded and chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 400 g tin plum tomatoes
- 150 g red lentils washed and drained
- 1 ltr vegetable stock
- salt & pepper to season
Instructions
-
Heat the sunflower oil in a large soup pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute gently for 5 minutes taking care to soften but not brown the vegetables.
-
Add the garlic, ginger and chilli to the pan and continue to saute gently for a further 2-3 minutes.
-
Add the dry spices to the pan and stir well to combine. Cook for 1 minute until the spices start to release their aroma.
-
After a good rinse under cold water, add the lentils and the tinned tomatoes to the pan along with the vegetable stock. Bring the soup to the boil before turning down to a simmer and covering with a lid. Stir the soup from time to time to avoid it sticking. The soup should cook for 40 minutes or until the lentils have softened.
-
Once cooked, blitz the soup with a stick blender. Season to taste and serve when ready.
Recipe Notes
If you wish to add a creamy element to this soup, you can stir through either a spoon of natural yogurt or if following a vegan or dairy-free diet, a spoon of coconut milk, just before serving.
Shared with CookBlogShare, where you will also find recipes by fellow food bloggers.
3
Lentil is my go to soup as well as that’s all E will eat but I secretly add other things to it and she hasn’t a clue!
Beautiful soup and that colour! I love lentils in soups as they act as wonderful thickener and make it so much more substantial and delicious. There is nothing better that soup for lunch and homemade is definitely the way to go for me too! 🙂
Thank you Jo, I couldn’t agree more homemade is the only way to go. Lesley x
This sounds utterly delicious…I am always partial to a spot of soup…or rather a big pot of it bubbing away on the hob!! I love how it is such an easy way to make a tasty, nutritious meal and how easy it is to make extra too…to put in the fridge or freezer to have at a later date! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare this week. Eb x
You’re welcome Eb, like you I always make extra for the freezer. Soup is always my go to lunch at this time of year when the temperature is still low. Lesley x
This looks gorgeous, I absolutely love making soup, I do always add the cream though! Thanks for sharing! #CookBlogShare
Thank you Donna, you’re more than welcome. I love a bit of coconut milk or yoghurt stirred through if I’m honest, however the minute my youngest sees anything creamy added and the barriers go up! I tend to sneak it into my own bowl once served.