Saturday soup

Saturday soup

Serves: 6

Time to make: 35 mins

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils
2 litres vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 onion large
2-3 sticks celery
2-3 carrots, peeled
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon paprika
good dash Tabasco (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriandercilantroX
2 cups root-type vegetables (e.g pumpkin, potato, kumarasweet-potatoX, swede), peeled and cut into smallish chunks
fresh parsley, chives or basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

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1 Put the lentils in a heatproof bowl with the hot stock to soak.

2 Use a food processor to chop the onions, celery and carrots finely.

3 Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and vegetable mix gently for 10 minutes, without browning.

4 Add the spices, Tabasco, lentils and stock with the chopped root vegetables. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

5 Serve the soup as it is for a chunky texture or purée for a smoother soup. Reheat the soup (if puréed) add fresh herbs and season to taste.

Recipe supplied by Healthy Food Guide reader, Georgina Casey (Auckland)

HFG tip

Georgina says: “Serve this on a cold wet Saturday for lunch after spending the morning cheering on the kids’ sports teams! I just throw in whatever is handy once I have done the base – last week I added bacon and then stirred in some low-fat sour cream at the end, but it varies all the time.”

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 252 cal

Kilojoules 1054 kJ

Protein 16.8 g

Total fat 2.4 g

Saturated fat 0.4 g

Carbohydrates 41 g

Sugar 5.8 g

Dietary fibre 8.7 g

Sodium 445 mg

Calcium 60 mg

Iron 5.6 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.