Prep time:

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 3

olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 stick celery, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic

1tsp each of chili flakes, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander

100g red lentils, rinsed

2tbsp tomato purée /concentrate

750ml veg stock

2 large roasted red peppers from a jar (pat dry with kitchen roll)

½tsp apple cider vinegar

Greek, natural or coconut yogurt, to serve

A delicious, hearty and healthy soup recipe. The red lentils make the soup so creamy and using ready roasted peppers in a jar makes this a breeze. Do future you a favour and make a batch and freeze in portions, you’ll have a warming dinner ready when you most need it. Do omit the chili of you prefer a less spicy soup.

  1. Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and gently allow to cook and soften for 5 mins at least. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and cook for a further five mins, stirring to make sure they don’t burn. Add the spices mix, cook for a further 5 mins. Throw in the lentils and the tomato purée, give it all a good stir and then add the stock.
  2. Bring to the boil and cook gently for 20 mins or until the lentils are soft. You many need to check that there is enough water.
  3. Finally add the red peppers and allow to warm through. Add the splash of apple cider vinegar, it just lifts it!
  4. Blend with a stick blender, season generously, taste and season again.
  5. Serve with yoghurt and/or chopped coriander. I also decorated with Cornish Sea Salt Co’s Everything Bagel, a totally delicious seasoning that is a blend of seeds and smoked sea salt.

About Charlotte Butterworth
aka @theneedy.greedy

Charlotte is a private caterer, cookery teacher and recipe creator sharing her original recipes on Instagram and Facebook as @theneedy.greedy.
She trained as a Cordon Bleu cook, but has developed her own signature style of using lots of vegetables, big flavours and love of Mediterranean style cooking.
Charlotte runs cookery workshops and teaches individuals in her lovely kitchen in Cranbrook, helping people rediscover their culinary mojo with new ideas for delicious, healthy and easy meals for everyday and entertaining. Visit her Instagram to find her workshop schedules and to speak to her about tuition.
She also caters for everything from intimate dinners and family celebrations to drinks parties and corporate events. Charlotte is also co-founder of the Small Business Supper Club Kent, which holds monthly events to bring small business owners, creatives and sole traders together. Do contact her at
charlotte@butterworth.co.uk
for more information about catering, teaching or supper clubs.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

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