Lentil & Vegetable Soup
A warm, gentle soup packed with protein + fibre—perfect to break your fast without feeling heavy.
Serves: 4–6 people
Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Base
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Veg
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped (optional but great)
- 1 courgette (zucchini) or a handful of spinach (optional)
Lentils + liquid
- 1 cup red lentils (rinsed well) (or brown lentils—see time note)
- 1.2–1.5 litres vegetable stock (or water)
Flavour
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric (optional)
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
Optional: pinch chilli flakes, paprika, or mixed herbs
Finish
Juice of ½ lemon
Optional: drizzle of olive oil + chopped parsley for serving
Step-by-step
1) Start the flavour base
Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.
Add onion and cook 5–7 minutes until soft.
Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
2) Add veg + spices
Add carrots + celery (and courgette if using). Cook 3–4 minutes.
Stir in cumin, turmeric (optional), pepper, salt (and chilli/paprika if using). Cook 30 seconds.
3) Add lentils + stock
Add rinsed lentils and stir to coat in the spices.
Pour in stock/water and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a gentle simmer.
4) Simmer until soft
Simmer 18–25 minutes (red lentils) until the lentils and veg are very soft.
If using brown lentils, simmer 30–40 minutes.
Stir occasionally so nothing sticks.
5) Blend (optional but delicious)
For a smooth soup: blend with a stick blender until creamy.
For a chunky soup: blend just a little, or don’t blend at all.
6) Finish with lemon
Turn off heat. Add lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt/spices.
Serving ideas
Serve hot with:
a squeeze of extra lemon
a drizzle of olive oil
warm bread or a small salad