Delicious day-before-payday thrifty red lentil soup

Posted in Recipes.

Posted on July 2, 2019August 8, 2019 by Pip Lincolne

Makes : 6
Prep time : 15 mins
Cooking time : 30 mins

I love this soup. Firstly, it’s a little bit grandma and a little bit modern, which is just the sort of flavour base that I like. Secondly, you can whip up a giant pot of this for about $5 which is excellent in these times when most of our money is spent on rent/mortgage and keeping the electricity turned on. It’s a very good day-before-pay-day meal!

This soup is a little reminiscent of dhal, but it’s meant to be thinner than the Indian classic is.

It’s best served on a chilly night with hot buttered toast or slices of grilled bread rubbed with a clove of garlic. Maybe throw some cheese on the top of that grilled, garlicky bread even?

Let’s make it!

The nicest red lentil soup ingredients

1 cup of red lentils
1 large onion, diced
2 big carrots, peeled and diced
1 big carrot, peeled and grated
2.5 litres of chicken or vegetable stock (you can use stock cubes and water, just follow the packet directions to make ‘stock’)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
Some chopped fresh herbs – I used thyme
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Step 1

In a large soup pot, fry the garlic, onion and diced carrot in the olive oil until they are starting to caramelise/go a little bit golden around the edges.

Step 2

Stir in the tomato paste, salt and spices and fry for 30 seconds.

Step 3

Add the lentils, grated carrot and stock. Season with some freshly ground black pepper. Simmer uncovered on a medium-low heat until the carrots are soft and the soup is thickening a little. Stir it every now and then to be sure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot. If it gets too thick, add some extra stock to loosen things up!