One-pot lunches
Red Lentil & Tomato Soup
A thick, golden soup in the style of Turkish lentil soup — red lentils cook down in fifteen minutes, no soaking.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, grated or finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 150 g (5 oz) red lentils
- ½ tin (200 g / 7 oz) chopped tomatoes
- 1 stock cube
- 700 ml (1¼ pints) water
- ½ lemon
- a pinch of chilli flakes
- salt and black pepper
Steps
- Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 4–5 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes, crumbled stock cube and water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have fallen apart.
- Stir hard with the wooden spoon to break everything down into a thick, fairly smooth soup. If it's too thick, add a splash of water.
- Season with salt and pepper, squeeze in the lemon juice and sprinkle with chilli flakes.
Swaps & variations
- A spoonful of natural yoghurt on top works well.
- Stir in a handful of spinach at the end and let it wilt for a minute.
- Keep the second portion covered in the fridge and eat it within two days; reheat until steaming hot and add a splash of water, as it thickens overnight.