Spiced Lentil & Spinach Soup Recipe

The perfect, nutrient-packed comfort food for any season. Gentle spices enhance the soup’s flavour, while fibre-rich lentils and antioxidant-packed green veg ensure each bowl is truly nourishing.

Serves

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped (or see recipe introduction)
2 carrots, finely chopped (or see recipe introduction)
2 celery sticks, finely chopped (or see recipe introduction)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
150g (5.oz) split red lentils, rinsed and drained
1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock, made from 2½ stock cubes
2 large handfuls of spinach or kale, coarse stalks removed
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper

Method

You can substitute the onions, carrots and celery for 300g (10.oz) ready-prepared soffritto or vegetable base mix, to save time.

Set a large saucepan with the extra virgin olive oil over a medium-high heat, then sauté the onions, carrots, celery and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until softened but without colour. Add the spices, lentils and stock.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.

Add the spinach or kale and cook until wilted, then squeeze in the lemon juice.

Blend using a stick blender, or leave chunky, then taste and adjust the seasoning before serving in warmed bowls.

NOTE. To increase the protein available from this soup, serve it with a dollop of Greek yogurt (4–5g/1/8oz protein), 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds (4.5g/1/8oz protein), Mixed Seed Sprinkle (2.5g/1/16oz protein), a slice of wholegrain bread (4–5g/1/8oz protein) or a few cubes of cheese (about 5g/1/8oz protein), or a combination of these.

Extracted from The Ultimate High Fibre Handbook by Jenny Tschiesche (Hamlyn, £22) Food photography: Octopus Publishing Group

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