Spiced Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
This spiced carrot and red lentil soup recipe is cheap and easy to make. It’s a mildly spiced and filling vegan dish, providing you with a good source of protein.
This recipe is gluten and dairy free. It’s easy to follow and uses simple ingredients. I have also included instructions on how to make this recipe in a slow cooker, as well as on the stove.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This warming soup makes the perfect lunchtime meal to have on chilly days.
- It’s packed full of protein and has a very mild curry taste.
- It is gluten and dairy free.
- It is the perfect soup to prepare ahead of time.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lbs (500g) carrots (approximately 8 medium size)
- 1 cup (175g) split red lentils
- 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
- 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable stock or broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves (optional garnish)
The ingredients listed above make 4 servings.
Equipment
- Cast iron Dutch oven (casserole dish with lid) or large saucepan
- Chopping / cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Wooden spoon
- Hand held immersion blender
- Pyrex measuring cup / jug
Ingredient Notes
Vegetable Stock or Broth
I used a Kallo Organic vegetable stock cube dissolved in 500ml of boiling water for this recipe. I then topped up the soup with an additional 500ml of plain boiling water.
If you are you using ready made, store bought stock or broth please check the ingredients label if you want ensure that this recipe is gluten and dairy free.
Mild Curry Powder
The mild curry powder that I use for this recipe contains a mixture of the following spices; coriander seed, salt, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin seed, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, chilli powder, clove, nutmeg.
Depending on the brand of curry powder you choose, the spice combination may differ from the list above.
If you don’t want to use curry powder then turmeric powder can be used instead.
Lentils
I use split red lentils for this recipe, as they cook quickly. You can use green or brown lentils instead, but if they are whole (rather than split) you may need to cook them for a bit longer.
It’s a good idea to wash your lentils before cooking them. See instructions on how to do this below.
How to Make Spiced Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
Step 1
Wash your split red lentils by placing them in a bowl and pouring over filtered water.
Use your hand to squish the lentils around in the bowl. You will see the water become murky. Tip the lentils into a sieve and rinse them off with more fresh filtered water.
Step 2
Chop up the onions and garlic.
Add the olive oil to your Dutch oven or large saucepan and set it to a medium heat.
Cook the onions on their own first, until they start to become translucent. This should only take 3-5 minutes.
Step 3
Whilst the onions are cooking, chop up the carrots.
I used organic carrots, so I didn’t bother peeling them, I just gave them a wash first.
Step 4
Add the garlic and mild curry powder to the pan of onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute.
Step 5
Add the carrots and lentils to the pan and mix well.
Step 6
If you are using a stock cube boil 4 cups (1 litre) of water to make your vegetable stock.
Place the stock cube in a Pyrex measuring jug and pour over the boiling water. Stir to dissolve the stock cube.
My measuring jug only holds 2 cups (500ml) at a time. So I added another 2 cups (500ml) of just plain boiled water.
If you are using ready made stock or broth then this does not need to be heated in advance and can be poured straight in to the pan.
Step 7
Once you have added the stock, set to a high heat to bring the liquid to a boil.
Then reduce back down to a medium heat and cook for roughly 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender enough to easily pierce with a fork.
Stir the soup every now and then to ensure that it doesn’t start to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Step 8
Use a hand held immersion blender to blend the ingredients into a soup. You can make it as smooth as you like, or leave it with bigger chunks in.
Step 9
Once you have blended the soup to your preferred consistency have a taste of the soup and add some salt and pepper if you feel like it’s needed. I did not add any to mine, as the stock cube provided enough salt.
Add an optional garnish of some fresh coriander leaves (cilantro).
Serve with a sandwich or some fresh bread and butter, or simply enjoy on its own.
Recipe FAQs
How to store and reheat
This soup can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Allow the soup to cool completely before placing it in the refrigerator or freezer.
You can reheat this soup on the stove in a saucepan, or in a microwave.
Do I need an immersion blender?
Whilst having a hand held immersion blender will make your life a lot easier, you can get by without one. If you have a different type of blender, you can spoon in the soup in batches and use that instead.
Or you could use a potato masher and crush the carrots once the soup is cooked. However, this won’t give your soup a very smooth consistency.
Can this soup be made in a slow cooker?
Yes! Simply add all of the ingredients (apart from the fresh coriander / cilantro) into the slow cooker and set to cook on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours. Just before serving use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
Spiced Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 lb carrots
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder
- 4 cups vegetable stock or broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh coriander (cilantro) optional garnish
Instructions
- Wash your split red lentils by placing them in a bowl and pouring over filtered water.Use your hand to squish the lentils around in the bowl. You will see the water become murky. Tip the lentils into a sieve and rinse them off with more fresh filtered water.
- Chop up the onions and garlic.Add the olive oil to your Dutch oven or large saucepan and set it to a medium heat.Cook the onions on their own first, until they start to become translucent. This should only take 3-5 minutes.
- Whilst the onions are cooking, chop up the carrots.
- Add the garlic and mild curry powder to the pan of onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the carrots and lentils to the pan and mix well.
- If you are using a stock cube boil 4 cups (1 litre) of water to make your vegetable stock.If you are using ready made stock or broth then this does not need to be heated in advance and can be poured straight in to the pan.
- Once you have added the stock, set to a high heat to bring the liquid to a boil.Then reduce back down to a medium heat and cook for roughly 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender enough to easily pierce with a fork.Stir the soup every now and then to ensure that it doesn't start to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Use a hand held immersion blender to blend the ingredients into a soup. You can make it as smooth as you like, or leave it with bigger chunks in.
- Once you have blended the soup to your preferred consistency have a taste of the soup and add some salt and pepper if you feel like it's needed. I did not add any to mine, as the stock cube provided enough salt.Serve with an optional garnish of fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) and/or some chilli flakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I really hope you enjoy making and eating this spiced carrot and red lentil soup.
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I know you’re going to LOVE this recipe, it’s a firm family favourite here! Don’t forget that you can ask me any questions in this comments section and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.