Hearty Veg Soup

As the weather has definitely shifted, its time for the soup pan to emerge to give something warm and nourishing for lunch. My go-to lunch recipe is this hearty vegetable soup which I can make in 10 minutes and cook in 20.

Today I’ve used some leftover carrots and half a swede that has seen better times, but I often buy one of these stew packs which are excellent value and have a range of root vegetables. Alternatively, you can buy ready-chopped mixes like sofrito.

Fry onion in some olive oil and add the chopped vegetables. Throw in half a cup of dried red split lentils*, a tin of chopped tomatoes and about a pint of vegetable stock.  I used a knorr stock pot, but any flavoured cube will also do.

Simmer for about 20 minutes – I used a pressure cooker to reduce time or you could use a slow cooker if you are organised enough.

You can either eat the soup chunky or blend it up if you prefer. Voila. Easy peasy, cheap, nutritious and filling. 

* these are cheap to buy, don’t need pre-soaking so I have a bag in the cupboard but if you don’t have any to hand, you could also use a tin of chickpeas, butter or cannellini beans instead. These give the soup some protein, making it more filling (and tasty!)

I don’t typically season as there is salt in the stock but add to your own taste.