Cosy food | How to make hearty lentil and vegetable soup

What’s better than a cosy, autumnal afternoon wrapped up on the sofa as your kitchen fills with the aroma of homemade soup? Hmm, not much we’d imagine. So we’ve whipped up a quick recipe to take you through these chillier months with a healthy and hearty vegetable and lentil winter soup.

Makes 4 portions.

Ingredients

250g dried red lentils

250g grated carrots

3 sticks of celery

250g leeks

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

1 stock cube

Salt and pepper to taste

Chilli flakes (optional)

How to make lentil soup

1. Grate the carrots and dice the onions, garlic, celery and leeks.
2. In a large soup pan, heat a large slug of oil on a medium heat.
3. Sauté the onions and garlic on a low heat, you want to do this a slow as possible until the onions and garlic are translucent and soft.
4. Add in the celery, carrots and leeks, sauté until soft.
5. Add in the lentils.
6. Add the water into the pan, enough to cover the sautéed ingredients.
7. Add in the stock cube and then season to your preference. If you like a little kick, add a few chilli flakes for some extra warmth.
8. Simmer on a low heat until the lentils are soft. If you have time, keep the on the heat for up to an hour and a half, adding more liquid if necessary. The longer you leave the soup, the more flavourful it will be.
9. Store in a sealable container in the fridge, this will keep up to five days.

Finally, enjoy! This soup would be a great starter, a toasty mid-week dinner served with crusty bread or a warming lunch to take to the office.