The sudden change in temperature has come as a bit of a shock. Only a few weeks ago, I was out and about in London one evening in only a light jacket commenting on how warm it was for November. That feels a long way away from this morning when I had to spend some time defrosting the car to get to an appointment!
Despite the sudden change, it is a welcome one as the unseasonable warmth was confusing the plants in our garden. New buds have started to appear; hopefully now they’ll all bed down for the winter as they should do.
When it’s chilly outside, I love to be warmed up on the inside; this super tasty carrot and lentil soup really hits the spot. The warmth comes from a hefty dose of fresh ginger and garlic, two ingredients I love to provide some heat in soups like this carrot and ginger soup or this squash soup which also features in my first book Eat Well Live Well.
Carrots provide good amounts of beta carotene, the plant precursor to vitamin A, essential for a strong immune system plus healthy skin and eyes. And lentils are a great plant source of protein and of course fibre to support the microbiome, our helpful microbes camping out in the large intestines. If we look after them, they’ll work super hard to look after us, and as 70% of the immune system is found in and around the gut, we need them more than ever in flu and cold season.
To add just a little more body-loving nutrition, I’ve added some seasonal greens at the end. My family tells me I’m obsessed by adding spinach to everything, which might be true, but I also love tasty greens that are readily available all year round. Greens are one of the best vegetables you can eat as they are packed full of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals such as magnesium, iron and calcium. And as the name suggests, seasonal greens are available all year round as spring, summer, autumn or winter greens. They’re cheap too! They take a little longer to cook in the soup than spinach, but it’s worth a few minutes longer.
To ensure all those amazing nutrients are available for absorption in the gut, don’t miss out adding the lemon juice. The citric acid aids absorption; it also lifts the flavour, making this tasty, warming soup even better.
This recipe make four good sized portions. It also freezes well, so if you find batch cooking helpful, double the ingredients and add the extras to the freezer – don’t forget to label the pots before you pop them in though!
I hope you enjoy this lovely, warming carrot and lentil soup. Do let me know how you get on if you make it.
Warming carrot and lentil soup
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the veggies as above. Heat a couple of tablespoons of water in the base of a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot and ginger. Sauté for 5 minutes until the veg start to soften.
- Add the garlic to the pan along with a little extra water if needed. Sauté for another couple of minutes.
- Tip the lentils into the pan and add the turmeric and let it simmer for a minute before adding the vegetable stock or hot water.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked and the carrots are soft.
- Remove the pan from the heat and blend to smooth with a stick blender.
- Pop the pan back on the heat and add the shredded greens. Pop the lid on the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, season with salt and black (or pink) pepper.
- Serve with a glug of cold pressed flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil if desired.
Great recipe! Thank you!
Hi Cristina. Thanks for your feedback. So glad you enjoyed it.