Go Back
+ servings
A bowl of spicy carrot and lentil soup.

Spicy carrot and lentil soup

Spicy carrot and lentil soup is a hearty vegetarian soup made with fresh vegetables and warm spices and is quick and easy to make. It is delicious served for lunch with a chunk of fresh crusty bread or focaccia. It is also great topped with homemade croutons.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine British, European
Servings 3
Calories 827 kcal

Equipment

  • Large saucepan with lid
  • Hand blender

Ingredients
 
 

  • 500 g carrots
  • 1 leek
  • 1 sweet potato 200g approx
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 75 g red lentils
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
  • 2 cardamon pods
  • 1 pint vegetable stock approx
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Thinly slice the leek and peel and finely chop the ginger. Cook gently in a large pan until soft.
  • Dice the carrots, peel and dice the sweet potato and add to the pan.
  • Chop the celery and add to the pan and add the lentils.
  • Add sufficient vegetable stock to cover the soup vegetables and lentils, plus extra to allow for the lentils to expand. Add more stock if needed during the cooking time.
  • Add the cardamon pods and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables and lentils are cooked.
  • Remove from the heat.
    Blend using a hand blender until the soup if thick and smooth. The cardamon pods can either be removed before blending or can be blended with the rest of the soup depending on how spicy you would like the soup to be. If in doubt you could remove the cardamon pods, blend and check the level of spiciness, if you would like to add more heat then add one or both cardamon pods and blend again.

Notes

How to serve
  • Add a garnish of freshly chopped herbs, a swirl of cream, paprika or freshly milled black pepper
  • Serve your homemade soup with a side of fresh crusty bread, homemade focaccia or olive bread.
  • Top with croutons. Homemade croutons are quick and easy to make and are a great way to use up old or stale bread.
How to store
  • This carrot soup can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
  • It can also be frozen for up to a month. Defrost at room temperature before reheating.
Tips
  • The quantities can easily be adjusted to prepare a larger quantity of soup. As the prepared soup can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or can be frozen it is worth making extra.
  • This recipe creates a fairly thick soup. If you prefer a thinner soup simply adjust by adding more vegetable stock or water.
  • Soups are not just for autumn and winter, they can be enjoyed at any time of the year.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 827kcalCarbohydrates: 84gProtein: 18gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 27012mgPotassium: 1174mgFiber: 19gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 39155IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 4mg
Keyword Autumn, Carrots, Pulses, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!