Spiced carrot & lentil soup

Spiced carrot & lentil soup

A delicious, spicy blend, packed full of iron and low fat to boot. It's ready in under half an hour or can be made in a slow cooker

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian, Dairy-free

To make dairy-free, see 'Try' below

Method

  1. Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 min, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Scoop out about half of the seeds with a spoon and set aside. Add the oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have swollen and softened.
  2. Whizz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth (or leave it chunky if you prefer). Season to taste and finish with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted spices. Serve with warmed naan breads.
Try

Make it Moroccan

Substitute the chilli flakes and cumin seeds for a few teaspoons of harissa paste. You could add cooked shredded chicken at the end of cooking, too.

IF YOU WANT TO USE A SLOW COOKER...

Place half the cumin seeds, half the chilli flakes, the oil, carrots, lentils and 700ml stock into your slow cooker pot. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours until the lentils are tender. Dry-fry the remaining cumin seeds and chilli flakes just until fragrant. When the lentils are done, stir in the milk and whizz up the soup depending on how chunky you'd like it.

Make it dairy-free

For a richer but dairy-free alternative, use a can of reduced-fat coconut milk instead of the milk.

238 kcalories, protein 11.0g, carbohydrate 34.0g, fat 7.0 g, saturated fat 1.0g, fibre 5.0g, salt 0.25 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2005.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 101-120

  • Binder photo momo

    07 March 2009

    momo commented on this recipe

    me and my husband loved this soup very much. very easy to make and very tasty. we didnt put the yogurt though. but still tasty. will make again tomorrow.:)

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  • Binder photo princessbelle

    09 March 2009

    princessbelle rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    this recipe was very easy to make although tasted a bit bland, next time i would not put as many lentils in as this took the flavour away from the carrots i thought. i prefered the other carrot and cumin soup on this site

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  • Binder photo rainbow

    17 March 2009

    rainbow commented on this recipe

    love this - so easy, so tasty

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  • Binder photo dippyd

    28 March 2009

    dippyd rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This is so tasty, even better after it came out of the freezer at a later date.

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  • Binder photo Girlie

    30 March 2009

    Girlie commented on this recipe

    This was an instant hit with friends and family. I added the chicken to the soup and served it as recommended. The only complaint was that people wanted more!!! I have to make double portions now :)

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  • Binder photo annácska

    31 March 2009

    annácska rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I did it yesterday and we loved it. I put in some more spices (toasted coriander, mustard and cumin seeds), and then let it simmer... Very easy and tasty, I'll definitely do it again!

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  • Binder photo Skylar Dickenson

    31 March 2009

    Skylar Dickenson rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    wonderful! i used curry powder instead of cumin and it was a bit spicy. delicious :)

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  • Binder photo anniroc

    01 April 2009

    anniroc rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Ok as a base but very cumin-y. Next time I would add less cumin and add fresh chilli and some garlic for extra flavour. I also added 1 tsp of sugar for extra depth.

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  • Binder photo Lucyp73

    02 April 2009

    Lucyp73 commented on this recipe

    This soup is fantastic! Really easy to make and incredibly tasty with cheap ingredients. I serve with low fat naan breads and I always use some extra chilli flakes. My favourite soup by far!

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  • Binder photo EmmaP

    06 April 2009

    EmmaP rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Very easy, cheap and tasty!

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  • Binder photo Carol

    20 April 2009

    Carol rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    With carrots here in Turkey at 1 lira (40p) a kilo you can't go wrong. Will definitely be making this again and serving it for lunch with crusty bread to guests here in our hotel.

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  • Binder photo cakeanyone?

    22 April 2009

    cakeanyone? rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really lovely in the end! I omitted the oil and added cumin powder and chilli flakes to the carrots before adding stock, lentils and milk. Was nice but something was missing - added approx 1-2 tsp chicken seasoning, splash of Worcs sauce and lots of salt/pepper and it gave the flavour more depth. Tastes even nicer the next day. Might add leeks or onion too next time.

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  • Binder photo DenOHora

    09 May 2009

    DenOHora rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really tasty and really easy. It tastes quite classy, which surprising given that it is so cheap and easy to make.

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  • Binder photo LisaH

    12 May 2009

    LisaH commented on this recipe

    I ADORE this soup, I usually use ground cumin which works just the same I find, and using chicken stock, and adding some cooked chicken at the end I find makes it even tastier if having as a main meal. I make a huge batch once a fortnight and everyone asks for more. Gives the illusion that I am a fabulous cook :)

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  • Binder photo N Tomlinson

    15 May 2009

    N Tomlinson rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great Soup, with a nice spicy warmth. Definately on file for quick easy lunches.

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  • Binder photo jeannie

    17 May 2009

    jeannie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    family loved this recipe.A firm favourite! Especially with the naan bread!

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  • Binder photo kika

    17 May 2009

    kika rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious and super easy. Have done it 3 times and also without the carrots and still quite good.

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  • Binder photo Jenniebibs

    17 May 2009

    Jenniebibs rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delish! I added an onion and I'll do the same next time as I think it worked really well. It didn't turn out quite as spicy as I'd have liked but I think my spices are probably a bit old. My 2 year old daughter absolutely loved it.

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  • Binder photo Adele

    21 May 2009

    Adele rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    A great easy to make soup. Would personally be a bit more generous with the chilli. Garlic and/or onion might also be a good idea to try to give it more depth of flavour. All in all not bad at all.

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  • Binder photo stallion

    25 May 2009

    stallion rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    delicious and well easy.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian, Dairy-free

To make dairy-free, see 'Try' below

Healthy vegetarian supper

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • pinch chilli flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 600g carrots , washed and coarsely grated (no need to peel)
  • 140g split red lentils
  • 1l hot vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
  • 125ml milk
  • plain yogurt and naan bread, to serve
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238 kcalories, protein 11.0g, carbohydrate 34.0g, fat 7.0 g, saturated fat 1.0g, fibre 5.0g, salt 0.25 g

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