Red Lentil and Spinach Soup

We love this red lentil and spinach soup. We eat it almost weekly at this time of the year. The ingredients are either always in the store cupboard, or are readily available. It’s full of fibre from the lentils and the vegetables, and gives us a meat free meal that still fills you up. It freezes very well, and the left overs also make a great lunch. Oh, and it’s a lentil soup, so it’s very cheap.

As if that wasn’t enough, we discovered this autumn is that our 2 year old can’t get enough of it. Anything that gets vegetables into a toddler has to be a winner, right?

It’s also very versatile – you can add pretty much anything to spice it up a bit including my favourite, erős pista – Hungary’s answer to harissa. And you you can replace the spinach with pretty much any other vegetable, so it’s a great way to finish off any veg lurking in the back of the fridge.

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Red Lentils and Spinach Soup

5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50 grams pancetta or bacon lardons
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 2 carrots (peeled and finely diced)
• 2 sticks celery finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 300 grams red lentils (thoroughly washed)
• 1 x 400 gram tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1.2 litres water
• Salt and pepper
• 400 grams spinach (washed and roughly chopped)
• Parsley (chopped)

Instructions 

• Heat the olive oil and then add the pancetta or bacon lardons and fry until browned.
• Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until the vegetables are beginning to soften, around 8 minutes.
• Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
• Add the lentils and stir into the vegetable mixture thoroughly, then stir in the tinned tomatoes.
• Add the water then reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the spinach and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
• Correct the seasoning, garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

To make this vegan, just omit the bacon lardons.