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 11g, carbohydrate 34g, fat 7 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 5g, salt 0.25 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2005.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 241-260

  • Binder photo karen

    07 September 2010

    karen commented on this recipe

    yummy. Used half carrots/half potato to make it less sweet and also added chopped and sauted onion. Very cheap and tasty, a hit with kids too.

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  • Binder photo Rach Rapsey

    07 September 2010

    Rach Rapsey commented on this recipe

    Simple and delicious. Very good for filling up children! I could barely manage my bowl! Will definitely make again.

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  • Binder photo Rach Rapsey

    07 September 2010

    Rach Rapsey rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Simple and delicious. Very good for filling up children! I could barely manage my bowl! Will definitely make again.

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  • Binder photo Leanne 27

    12 September 2010

    Leanne 27 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    this is a very tasty soup and has a bite to it, i added more chilli flakes and served it with Tiger Bread i served it at a party and every one loved it

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  • Binder photo Steve in the City

    14 September 2010

    Steve in the City commented on this recipe

    This recipe is perfect. Cheap, easy and delicious. Adjust the spice to suit yourself.

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  • Binder photo Honeybee

    16 September 2010

    Honeybee rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    So easy yet beautiful. Thank you.

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  • Binder photo BAMBAM

    19 September 2010

    BAMBAM rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is a great soup. I have been meaning to try it for ages and finally made it today. It is tasty, easy and cheap, what more could you want!

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  • Binder photo Imogen

    21 September 2010

    Imogen rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo bowlerc67

    23 September 2010

    bowlerc67 rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Natalie

    23 September 2010

    Natalie rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo janelouise

    25 September 2010

    janelouise rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely gorgeous!! I used coconut milk and simmered for 20 minutes before blending, then kept on a low heat for a further 2-3 minutes until thickened.. Served with garlic and coriander nann bread.. Will definitely make this again :)

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  • Binder photo Peter V.

    26 September 2010

    Peter V. rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Si Tee

    28 September 2010

    Si Tee rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Coco Loco

    28 September 2010

    Coco Loco rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    We did enjoy this soup but found it needed quite a lot of seasoning as it was a little bland for our taste. Probably would make it again but i still prefer the carrot & coriander soup, it's much tastier in comparison.

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  • Binder photo Lauren

    28 September 2010

    Lauren rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yummscious! I could eat this all day everyday and what is even better I estimate that the entire batch is approx 10 weightwatchers points so onle around 2.5 per portion! Fabulous!

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  • Binder photo kpnut

    29 September 2010

    kpnut rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Would make again

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  • Binder photo Navtika

    01 October 2010

    Navtika rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Was an awesome recipe for dinner. Although had to add some water as it was too thick. Dry roasted Cumin and chilli flakes was something I had never tried before and adding it just before serving gave it a fantastic aroma.

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  • Binder photo Young.Cook.Sophie

    02 October 2010

    Young.Cook.Sophie commented on this recipe

    wow looks really nice...

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  • Binder photo str1107

    02 October 2010

    str1107 rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I added some sliced frankfurters and smoked flavoured stock. It was delicious that way.

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  • Binder photo Alpujarra

    06 October 2010

    Alpujarra commented on this recipe

    Tried this for the first time today. Wondeful flavour. Absolutely delicious! I made double the quantity. I used split peas (yellow CHANA DALL) as I had no red lentils in the cupboard (you need to cook them with the carrots for longer). I added 6 vegetable stock cubes ( organic ones by JUST - 1 for each 500ml - but an extra 2 for fuller flavour). Served it with chapatis. Great dish.

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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 11g, carbohydrate 34g, fat 7 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 5g, salt 0.25 g

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