Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

Try this spiced carrot and lentil soup for a budget friendly lunch or starter, that's ready in 30 minutes.

It uses easy store cupboard ingredients and it's naturally vegan and gluten free as an added bonus.

With the warming spices of chilli, coriander and cumin, this soup will definitely ward off any winter blues too.

Enjoy.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you will love this recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥗 Serve with
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• 📋 Recipe
• Starters and Soup
• 💬 Comments

Soup is a great filling dish all year round, but when the nights start drawing in, it's time to get into some serious comfort food.

Homemade soups are often easy and quick to make, and this spiced carrot and lentil soup is no exception. The only preparation there is to do is some rough chopping of the vegetables, which you probably already have in stock.

For the rest of the soup you will need some standard ground spices and dried lentils, which are filling, nutritious, budget friendly and act as a natural thickener.

The carrots and lentils are naturally sweet, so it's easy to make this soup family friendly by adjusting the spices too.

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

• Family friendly.
• Budget and store cupboard ingredients.
• Vary the level of spice to taste.
• Naturally vegan and gluten free to suit your diners if required.
• East to make in 30 minutes.
• Perfect for freezing.

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🥘 Ingredients

• Celery - this adds loads of flavour to soup, but if you don't have celery you can leave it out.
• Onion - standard brown onion.
• Stock - vegetable stock or water.
• Carrots - I normally buy economy style carrots for cooking as they are normally chopped or used as a base.
• Garlic - whole garlic cloves for extra flavour.
• Lentils - dried red lentils. Rinse them in a sieve before use.
• Chilli flakes.
• Oil - vegetable or olive oil for frying.
• Cumin - ground cumin.
• Coriander - ground coriander.

The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.

🍽 Equipment

• large saucepan with lid
• sharp knife
• chopping board
• standard blender or immersion

🔪 Instructions

Wash the carrots and peel the onion and garlic.

Finely mince the garlic and roughly chop the vegetables.

Put the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat.

Add the onions and celery and cook with the lid on for 5 minutes until softened.

Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium.

Stir the garlic in for a minute.

Add the spices and let them cook for a further minute while stirring.

⏲️ Cooking Time

Add the carrots, lentils and stock and bring to the boil for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat down and simmer for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the carrots and lentils are cooked through.

Blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender until smooth.

Return to the saucepan and check the seasoning. If you find that the soup is too thick, add a little extra stock or water.

Heat through before serving.

Garnish with fresh coriander and a few chilli flakes if liked.

🥗 Serve with

• crusty bread
• Baked Halloumi Fries
• garlic bread
• cheese bread like my Fougasse bread, which is perfect for tearing and dipping.
• Cake Salé - this is a French appetiser rather like bread, stuffed with cheese, bacon and onions.
• Kentish Huffkins - traditional British rolls made with plain flour.

🥙 Substitutions

• Dried red lentils - if you have tinned lentils you will need 2 x 454 gram tins that are drained.
• Celery - use a leek or an extra onion.
• Spices - if you don't have the individual spices use some mild or medium curry powder to taste.

📖 Variations

• Ginger - the flavour of ginger goes well with carrots and spices. Finely chop 20 grams of ginger and add with the garlic. I tend to buy ginger in a large piece and cut into portions for freezing. Use a microplane grater to grate it while it's frozen for ease.
• Vegetables - swap the carrots for parnsip or swede (rutabaga), or use a combination of root vegetables.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Freezer  - store in containers or soup bags for up to 6 months. The soup will normally be good to eat up to a year, but the consistency may not be perfect.
• To reheat - reheat gently in a saucepan over a low to medium heat. For individual portions place in a microwaveable bowl and heat on full power for a minute, stir and repeat.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• Blend the spiced carrot and lentil soup then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days before serving.

More soups to try

• Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Pheasant Soup
• Cream of Onion Soup
• Celery and Leek Soup
• Tomato and Courgette Soup
• Spicy Pumpkin Soup
• Tarragon and Mushroom Soup
• French Onion Soup with a Gruyère Crouton
• Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup
• Shellfish Bisque
• London Particular Soup
• Pea and Mint Soup

📋 Recipe

🍲Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?

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