Underestimated Power

Red lentils….their not my favourite of the legumes it has to be said.

Though I am quite partial to a red lentil dahl! I tend forget about them, though they always sit on the shelf, the one bag a never ending supply

I decided I wanted soup before I picking up or even thinking about the lentils but seen as I was going for something creamy with plenty of sustenance I figured they’d make a nice addition.

Bring on the creamiest soup I think I’ve ever made…creamy with a bit of texture! Coconut milk, red lentils, carrot and squash along with a whole heap of spice. It had quite a kick, softened beautifully by the coconut milk. Also in the mix was finely diced red pepper and some spicy jalapeno!

I reserved a little roasted squash and dropped it in before serving for a bit more texture. The soup itself was incredibly creamy thanks to a little blending action. I whizzed up about 1/2 of the soup which made for the perfect consistency.

I served it up with one of my individual pumpkin cornbread’s which went down deliciously! A little sweet, nicely savoury, I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect side to wipe my bowl clean. The remaining red lentils and diced red pepper scooped up, the soup soaked like water to a sponge….ok so I not the most appetising of comparisons but you catch my drift!

The Autumn chill has begun to set in, there’s a nip in the air, the sun has taken to having a longer time in bed and it’s that teeny bit harder to get my ass up for half five which is now more often than not closer to 6!

This soup is a delicious comforting meal that you could make a batch of at the beginning of the week, have sitting and read to heat up when hunger strikes. Nothing takes the chill out of your bones better than a belly warming bowl of soup!

What’s your favourite way to make use of red lentils?

Red Lentil Coconut Soup

 Print this easy peasy recipe

Servings – 1

Preparation Time – 5 minutes

Cooking Time – 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 small white onion finely diced
• 1/2 large red bell pepper finely diced
• 1/2 tbsp finely diced jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 cup roasted butternut squash diced
• 1/3 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 can coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander

Directions

1. Add onion and garlic to a pot with a drop of water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in red pepper, jalapeno pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes.
2. Next in are the spices, ginger, coriander and curry powder, followed by the water, tomato paste, coconut milk and lentils. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
3. Add in the 1/2 of the roasted squash, half of the fresh coriander, remove from the heat and place half of the soup in to a food processor or blend half of the soup in the pot.
4. Return to the heat and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve soup with the remainder of the roasted diced butternut squash dropped in the centre and garnish with fresh coriander.

Tagged as: coconut milk, coriander, pumpkin cornbread, recipes, red lentils, soup, thai, vegan, vegetarian