Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

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I made a vegan version of this “five star” recipe. I was suspicious of a soup recipe that had no alliums (onions, leeks or garlic) of any kind, so I added some of those. Then I over-salted it a bit so I added some extra cooked spaghetti squash I had in the fridge and some extra broth at the end.

This version is fairly mild, which is nice if you like being able to really distinguish the tastes of the core ingredients, carrots and lentils. However, for those that want something more fitting to the name, Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup, things like lemon, fresh ginger, coriander, curry powder and/or fresh cilantro would be good additions.

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Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 small leeks chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • pinch chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 600 g carrots coarsely grated
  • 140 g split red lentils
  • 1 L hot vegetable stock
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 cups spaghetti squash cooked
  • Salt to taste
  • Extra broth or water as needed

Instructions

  1. If you have time, soak the lentils for an hour before you start.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and them add the leeks. Sautee the leeks until softened.
  3. Add garlic, cumin and chilli flakes and cook for another minute.
  4. Add the raw grated carrot, lentils, stock and coconut milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils have swollen and softened.
  5. Turn off the heat and puree the squash until smooth. Add squash to the soup and whizz all (or a portion of) the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth (or leave it chunky if you prefer).
  6. Adjust the salt and add broth to taste.

Recipe Notes

Makes 6 large servings.