Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup
This dairy-free lentil soup is both hearty and delicious. It's a great way of getting vegetables into your family and perfect if you are on a budget.
Ingredients
- 2 litres gammon or vegetable stock
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 onions
- ¼-½ cabbage
- ½ swede
- 500g carrots
- 200g dried red lentils
- leftover gammon pieces (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set the lentils to soak in some cold water while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Peel and chop the carrots and swede.
- Wash and shred the cabbage
- Dice the onions,
- Add the onions, carrots, swede and cabbage to a large saucepan, together with the chopped tomatoes and stock.
- DO NOT add any salt at this stage.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until all the vegetables are softened. This should be around 25 - 30 minutes.
- Drain the lentils in a sieve and then run them under the cold tap to wash away as much dust as possible.
- Add the lentils to the saucepan and continue cooking until the lentils are soft, making sure you stir the saucepan every few minutes to prevent the lentils from burning.
- The cooking time for the lentils should be around 10-15 minutes but check the pack for guidelines.
- Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before blending with an immersion blender to your desired consistency.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- If using leftover gammon, cut the meat into small diced pieces and add to the soup,
- Serve with your favourite bread.