A comforting and hearty soup made with sweet potato, green lentils and spinach. This easy soup is gently spiced and very filling as well as super healthy.

I love a hearty soup when the season changes and the nights start drawing in. This sweet potato, green lentil and spinach soup is a wonderful soup to bring in the cooler autumn days.

It's the perfect one-pot meal when you need a hug in a bowl.

And what's more it's easy to make, super tasty, will last you for a few meals and help you get to your five-a-day portions of vegetables really quickly. 

If you don't want to eat it over a few days, then do freeze some and enjoy it later.

This soup is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of the best root vegetables in my opinion. 

They are rather fabulous baked with a filling instead of a white baking potato, they are good in pies and tarts for bulk and flavour and they are a really good additions to soup. 

In a soup, if you leave them in chunks they are satisfying to eat. If you blend the soup the sweet potato gives it a thick creamy finish. 

Personally I prefer a chunky soup to a smooth soup most of the time.

Sweet potatoes also bring a lot of flavour to a soup as well as health benefits.

Why are Sweet Potatoes so good for you?

Sweet potatoes are a great source of fibre, but they are also full of vitamins and minerals.

Nutrients in Sweet potatoes

1. Vitamin B
2. Vitamin C
3. Iron
4. Calcium
5. Selenium
6. Beta Carotene (antioxidant)
7. Fibre

also try - Carrot, Turmeric and White Bean Soup

Lentils in Soup

The great thing about adding lentils to soup is they can be added straight into the soup after they've been well rinsed.

You can choose from tinned lentils which are pre-cooked and don't need as long to cook in the soup or dried lentils.

Both will add a lot of body into the soup as well as lots of protein. 200g or 1 cup of cooked lentils have somewhere between 10 - 18 grams of protein. So a healthy addition to any soup.

Nutrients in Lentils 

1. Protein
2. Iron
3. Vitamin B
4. Potassium
5. Magnesium
6. Zinc
7. Fibre

Red lentils in Soup

Dried red split lentils break down in a soup to give a thick creamy base as well as a wonderful flavour. 

Yellow split peas can also be used in the same way and they also thicken a soup.

Green and Brown Lentils in Soup

Green and brown lentils can also be used in soup and once again you can use tinned or dried lentils. 

The difference when adding these lentils to a soup is they don't dissolve and thicken the soup. Instead they hold their shape and add texture to the soup.

Puy Lentils in Soup

You can also add dried or tinned puy lentils to soup. You can also buy them ready-to-use in sachets. They are sometimes called navy lentils. 

They are great in salads, but an expensive choice for soups.

also try - Scottish Fridge Lentil Soup

Spinach in Soup

Spinach is a really easy way to add an extra vegetable to your soup. 

Fresh spinach wilts instantly into soup and there's no need to chop it, just give it a good rinse.

Frozen spinach comes in cubes and will defrost and wilt into the soup in a few minutes, so they are an easy option too. 

You can throw cubes of frozen spinach into stews and sauces. I often add some to pasta sauces to add extra nutrients, like in my slow cooker stuffed pasta shells. 

They can also be added to smoothies, like my green mango and spinach smoothie

Only add frozen spinach to a blender if you have a power blender, as a cheaper blender won't have a strong enough motor and could go up in smoke. I'm talking from personal experience here.

also try Broccoli, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup

What's better fresh or frozen spinach?

Frozen spinach has more nutrients than fresh spinach. It's frozen so quickly, so all the nutrients are locked in whereas fresh spinach can lose nutrients over time. 

Fresh spinach is still a really healthy option to include in your diet. It's the best option for salads, sandwiches and wraps (try my green power lunch wrap), where frozen spinach just wouldn't work. 

And there should be no leftovers as you can throw what's left in the bag in other dishes.

Nutrients in Spinach

1. Fibre
2. Folates
3. Calcium
4. Iron
5. Magnesium
6. Potassium

also try - Easy Mushroom Soup

Sweet Potato, Green Lentil & Spinach Soup

This soup has so much more than sweet potatoes, green lentils and spinach.

I started with a base of onion, garlic and carrots. I also added red lentils to give that thick creamy base while still retaining all the texture. 

I flavoured the soup with paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and vegetable stock.

All in all, one tasty, healthy and comforting bowl of soup.

Oh and did I mention it is low in calories and fat? Perfect if you are trying to watch your weight or following the 5:2 diet.

also try Slow Cooker Carrot & Coriander Soup

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Winter Minestrone Soup

If you like the look of my Sweet Potato, Green Lentil & Spinach Soup, you may also like my Winter Minestrone Soup.

An easy winter minestrone soup with butternut squash inspired by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. Suitable for vegetarian, dairy-free and vegan diets

also try Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Sweet Potato, Green Lentil & Spinach Soup

Yield: 8

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 35 Mtotal time: 45 M

A comforting and hearty soup made with sweet potato, green lentils and spinach. This easy soup is gently spiced and very filling as well as super healthy.

ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, chopped
• 200g/1 cup red lentils
• 235g/ 1 1/8 cup tinned or cooked green lentils (weight before drained 390g)
• 100g/2 cubes frozen spinach
• 2 litres/7 cups vegetable stock (3 vegetable stock cubes)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (more if you like)
• a good grinding of salt and pepper

instructions:

How to cook Sweet Potato, Green Lentil & Spinach Soup

1. In a large pan, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
2. Add the sweet potato and carrots and cook gently for a few minutes.
3. Stir in the spices, then add the lentils and vegetable stock and stir well.
4. Add the frozen spinach. If you don't have frozen spinach and couple of handfuls of fresh spinach would be fine. Stir in.
5. Cook at a simmer for 25 -30 minutes, then season to taste. You can add a little more water or stock if you feel it needs it during cooking. Everyone loves their soup a little different.
6. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

NOTES:

You can use two generous handfuls of fresh spinach or kale instead of the frozen spinach, if you don't have any.

This soup freezes well.

Calories
123.24

Fat (grams)
2.35

Sat. Fat (grams)
0.37

Carbs (grams)
20.36

Fiber (grams)
5.94

Net carbs
14.42

Sugar (grams)
4.70

Protein (grams)
6.34

Sodium (milligrams)
711.40

Cholesterol (grams)
0.00

soup, lentil soup, sweet potato soup, low calorie soup, low fat soup, hearty soup, vegan soup, vegetarian soup

dinner

Scottish, vegan

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