Easy Lentil Soup Recipe

In our fast-paced lives, finding nutritious and easy-to-prepare meals can be quite a challenge, especially for busy families. The Classic One Pot Red Lentil Soup is not only a delicious option but also a fantastic way to incorporate healthy ingredients without adding unnecessary waste to our kitchens. This warm, hearty soup is child-friendly and allows you to sneak in extra vegetables, making it a perfect dish for everyone.

Bowl of uncooked red lentils

Why lentils are good

Lentils are great in this recipe because not only do they cook quickly, you dont need pre-soaking. They naturally thicken the soup, especailly when blended - without overpowering the other ingredients. They're nutritious, have an easy texture for children and are also budget friendly which is great as we head into the last week of the longest month ever!

Ingredients You Will Need

Here the list of ingredients for this one pot lentil soup recipe:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, diced (no need to peel)

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed (measure with your heart)

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 200g red lentils rinsed)

• 1 can chopped tomatoes

• 1 litre vegetable stock (homemade if you have it)

• squeeze of lemon (opitional)

  
  

  (some ingredients available at Zilch - Zero Waste as refills, so you can reduce waste by buying the exact amount you need)

Step-by-Step Method

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and gently cook the onion and carrots for 5minutes until soft.

2. Add the garlic, cumin and parika. stir for 1 minute until fragrant.

3. Tip in the lentil, tomatoes and stock.

4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils are soft.

5. Season well, add a squeeze of lemon (if using).

6. Blend if you want a smooth soup or leave it chunky.

7. Serve with crusty sourdough (the Breadsmith's is perfect)

Easy Swaps and Extras

• Add a handful of leafy greens

Spinach or kale added at the end of cooking would work wonderfully and add some extra nutrition.

• Stir through coconut milk

For extra creaminess just before serving stir through as splash of coconut milk.

• Add any vegetables

We use carrot in this recipe because it works really well but you can add anything you like here, red pepper would be a great addition, as would aubrgine (peel if you want to hide it).

• Bump the pulses

You could add what ever you wanted to this to boost flavour and nutrition. Some presoaked butter beans will add texture or chickpeas of you wanted more bite.

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