Red lentil and spinach soup

This is a fabulous soup that is full of flavour but doesn’t require a stock base. Easy to make, this red lentil and spinach soup is a hearty winter meal.RED LENTIL & SPINACH SOUP

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 80 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup of red lentils
• 1 tbsp / 20ml of olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 stick of celery, finely diced
• 2 tsp of coriander ground
• 2 tsp of cumin ground
• 1 potato, peeled & diced
• 1 litre / 4 cups / 1.5 pints of water
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup of baby spinach leaves
• 1 pinch of dried chilli flakes

Method

1. Soak the red lentils for 2 hours or overnight. Strain and rinse and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook over a medium heat for 10–20 minutes, adding a little water if it begins to stick.
3. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for 2 minutes.
4. Add the lentils to the pot, along with the diced potato and water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add the salt, pepper and lemon juice.
6. Using a fork, mash the potato against the side of the pot to thicken the soup. At this point you might need to adjust the consistency by adding a little water if the soup is too thick.
7. Add the baby spinach then serve with dried chilli flakes (if desired).

TIP
Don’t add the salt to the lentils until they are cooked, otherwise the lentils won’t soften.