It´s getting colder outside and Autumn and Winter are just around the corner! Time to start making soup again, and this carrot, lentil and ginger soup is a great one to start with!
Soup is not only filling and healthy but also really quick and easy to make, budget-friendly and perfect for batch cooking! Simply make one large pot of soup to keep on the stovetop or freeze in individual portions! To find out a great method to do so, check out the recipe tips below!
I absolutely LOVE this carrot, lentil and ginger soup. It has the most amazing flavour and colour! The ginger gives this soup just a little something extra, and feel free to add in some fresh chilli or chilli flakes to give it a bit of heat!
The carrot, lentil and ginger soup is great served alongside some crusty bread, I love serving it with some freshly baked soda bread! Follow the links to find my recipes for Traditional Irish Soda Bread and Cheese and Chive Soda Bread.
How do I make this carrot, lentil and ginger soup?
There are only 5 main ingredients in this soup: Carrots, lentils, onions, ginger and garlic – all of which should be part of your student store cupboard essentials!
If you don´t have fresh ginger, you can always just use some ground ginger you may have in your spice cupboard.
Spices are key to making a soup that really packs a punch! Salt and pepper are essential, but you can also add chilli powder, ground cumin, coriander or turmeric to it! Go wild!
RECIPE TIP:
This soup is perfect for freezing. To make things easier, place a freezer bag inside your soup bowl. Spoon the soup into the bag until it fill your bowl – that way you ensure it makes 1 portion! To reheat, defrost the soup (maybe take it out the night before or in the morning). Then tip into a saucepan and gently warm it over a low heat (if you try and heat it too quickly over a high heat it may burn!).
Carrot, Lentil and Ginger Soup
Recipe
Ingredients (serves 3):
- 1 large onion
- 250g of lentils
- 400g carrots
- a thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- 1L boiling water
- salt, pepper, for seasoning (turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander, etc. optional – BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT)
- fresh coriander, to serve (optional)
Method:
- Roughly chop the onions and carrots (1cm slices). Peel and half the garlic cloves and the piece of ginger and cut into smaller pieces.
- Next, add some olive oil to a pot and gently cook the onions over a low heat. Just for a few minutes until they become soft and translucent.
- Add the carrots, lentils, garlic and ginger to the pot.
- Dissolve the two vegetable stock cubes in 1L of boiling water to make the stock. Pour the vegetable stock over the veg and stir.
- Leave to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. The carrots should be soft (poke a fork into the carrots to check) and the lentils should have puffed up.
- Next, purée the soup with a stick blender.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and the other ground spices. To serve, you can sprinkle some freshly chopped coriander on top.
