This stretch of my rota is not the best. It’s a mix of nights, weekends and long days, which all of us on the team dread. Which means when I am home the last thing I really want to do is cook, (unless it’s a quick stir fry) so we unfreeze curries and meals prepped beforehand or chef Dan takes over.

With it being an exceptionally gloomy, wet and cold day (where did all that gorgeous sunshine go?) I decided soup would be perfect!

And while I do like a creamy soup, they do not always agree with me which is where this lentil, carrot and swede soup is a great substitute as once it’s all been blended in the food processor it is quite creamy.

Ingredients

250gm carrots peeled and sliced
250gm swede sliced
150gm red split lentils
1 red onion diced
0.5 tbsp cumin powder
0.5 tbsp coriander powder
0.5 tbsp garlic granules/powder
0.5 tbsp paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Method
1. Boil lentils in 2.5 cups of water till half cooked.
2. Fry the onions in olive oil with cumin, coriander and paprika over low heat and fry for about 10 minutes. Add garlic granules.
3. Then add the carrots and swede and fry till half cooked.
4. Add the lentils and 2 cups of water.
5. Once all cooked through, blend using a hand blender/or food processor to desired consistency. We like this soup little thick and bitty, but you can add a little more water (3 cups) and just blend it to your desired consistency.
6. Then put back on stove top and let simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve with toasted bread, naan or a spoonful of greek yoghurt.

Also, you can freeze this soup and defrost it for a later date which really just makes it even tastier.

Enjoy!