Spiced Carrot & Red Lentil Soup
Silky, warming and naturally vegan — carrots and red lentils blended with cumin and a squeeze of lemon.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Mrs Beeton's carrot soup was thickened with bread and made with meat stock. We use red lentils instead, which melt into the soup, make it creamy without any cream, and add plenty of protein.
A little cumin and chilli give it gentle warmth, and a squeeze of lemon at the end makes it taste bright rather than heavy. It's cheap, freezes well and is ready in 40 minutes.
A modern take on the carrot soup in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861), which is in the public domain.
Spiced Carrot & Red Lentil Soup
40 min total · approx. 250 kcal per serving
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the carrots, lentils and stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20–25 minutes until the carrots and lentils are completely soft.
- Blend until smooth with a stick blender (or carefully in batches in a jug blender). Add a splash of water if it's too thick.
- Stir in the lemon juice and season well. Serve scattered with parsley, with crusty bread on the side.
Calories are an estimate per serving. Diet tags are a guide only: always check ingredient labels for allergens, and see our food safety note.
