Broccoli, Carrot & Lentil Soup

A simple but filling broccoli, carrot and lentil soup made with red lentils to give it a pleasing thickness and some gentle spices for flavour. Hearty and delicious!

BROCCOLI, CARROT & LENTIL SOUP

I make a pot of soup every week most of the year round. 

Although I have to admit that when we hit the summer, I tend to have a break from it as salads start to make more of an appearance on our dinner table.

This broccoli, carrot and lentil soup is my latest creation.

I've made many similar soups, but this time I added broccoli. I added it for flavour, but also to get my son to eat broccoli. 

My plan is to gradually increase the amount of broccoli in this soup so he will get used to it and then hopefully I can add it to other dishes more without him making a fuss.

He's a bit odd when it comes to vegetables actually. 

He doesn't like quite plain vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli any more, but he doesn't mind me adding spinach to dishes and he likes asparagus and samphire. 

He's a strange boy at times.

SCOTTISH SOUP

This is a traditional Scottish style soup. A hearty vegetable soup thickened with red lentils.

Scotland can be cold and dreich for a lot of the year, so soups like this are very popular using local, seasonal and cheap produce and thickened with lentils, which are another staple here.

MORE HEARTY SCOTTISH SOUPS TO TRY

• Easy Mushroom Soup
• Parsnip Carrot and Lentil Soup
• Scottish Fridge Lentil Soup
• Scottish Neep, Tattie and Carrot Soup
• Scottish Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
• Slow Cooker Lentil & Peanut Butter Soup
• Spicy Carrot, Lentil and Kale Soup
• Winter Vegetable Soup

For more Scottish recipes have a look at my recipe index of Scottish Recipes for Vegans and Vegetarians

LOW CALORIE SOUP

This soup is hearty but naturally low calorie, so it's great if you are watching your weight or following the 5:2 diet.

There are just 128 calories in 6 large bowls of soup, or 96 calories for 8 standard size servings.

BREAD FOR SOUP

I made a quick black olive beer bread to serve with this soup.

I've been baking a lot of bread by hand recently, like my light rye bloomer and my basic brown bread (which is good for sandwiches), but these use bread flour and yeast and take much longer to make. 

I wanted something quick and easy, so beer bread was the perfect option.

It's made with self-raising flour, baking powder and beer, then you add your extra flavours (you can also make it with plain flour and extra baking powder).

It's super simple to make and it's in the oven in a couple of minutes. All you do is add the dry ingredients to a bowl, then pour in beer (or lager, ale or stout) and gently mix until just combined.

Then you pour the mixture into a loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes. 

That's in, no kneading or waiting for it to rise.

I pop this in the oven before I start making my soup. It's really not much effort and it's so good. 

There's something so nice about eating homemade bread with homemade soup.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE BROCCOLI, CARROT & LENTIL SOUP?

• onion
• garlic
• carrots
• broccoli (tenderstem or regular broccoli)
• red lentils
• dried cumin
• dried coriander
• vegetable stock
• salt and pepper

CARROTS

Carrots appear in a lot of my soups. They add so much flavour, a hint of sweetness, a great bit of colour. They also add texture if you leave them whole.

I usually add them chopped, then at the end of the cooking time, just mash some of the vegetables in the soup to thicken it, leaving enough whole for texture.

Of course when you have red lentils in a soup you don't need to mash or blend the soup at the end of cooking as they thicken the soup naturally.

Sometimes I add a combination of chopped carrots and grated carrots which also gives you are really good thickness of soup without blending it.

The carrots provide lots of Vitamin A, as well as Vitamin C, K and E. They also provide Potassium, Magnesium and Folate.  

They are also low in calories. I large carrot is only 30 calories.

They're an all round great vegetable which is good for your eye sight, immune system and to lower your risk of cancer. Check out the Good Housekeeping guide to carrot nutrition and why you should eat them every day.

BROCCOLI

I added tenderstem broccoli to this soup, as it's what I had in my fridge and let's face it most soups start this way, by looking to see what you have.

You don't need to use tenderstem. If you have a head of broccoli or some broccoli florets in the freezer, fell free to use that. It will work just as well.

You can also add more broccoli if you like. It will change the flavour of the soup, but it will still taste delicious.

A small head of broccoli or half a larger head of broccoli would be roughly equivalent to the 12 tenderstems I added.

Broccoli is also a healthy addition to soup. It is very high in Vitamin C, high in Vitamin A and also provides Vitamin B6, Protein, Magnesium, Phosphorus as well as Calcium and Iron.

They are also low in calories, with only 20 calories for one cup of florets. 

The health benefits of broccoli are protection against cell damage, they help to improve blood pressure and reduce the risk of some cancers. Good Housekeeping has guide to broccoli nutrition and why you should eat it every day.

RED LENTILS

Red  lentils are my favourite lentil. 

They are great for thickening soup, but I also add them to my nut loaf, shepherd's pie and use them to make my favourite spinach and coconut dal.

The great thing about red lentils is they soften and turn to a bit of a mush when cook which is great for thickening dishes.

Red lentils are a good source of Protein, Fibre, Folate, Iron, Maganese, Potassium and Vitamin B6.

They are said to lower blood pressure, can improve cholesterol and can help lower chances of some cancers. Harvard Medical School have an informative page about lentils.

HOW LONG CAN I KEEP MY SOUP IN THE FRIDGE?

Once cool, decant any leftover soup into an airtight container in the fridge.

It will keep for 3-4 days.

It can be reheated in the microwave or in a pot.

As it contains lentils, you may find it thickens as it cools. You can add some water to thin it down a little before heating it.

CAN I FREEZE MY SOUP

Yes this soup will freeze well. You can freeze it in convenient batches or in one tub.

To defrost, pop it in the fridge overnight, then heat it as required.

TOP TIPS FOR MAKING SOUP

1. If you're blending or mashing your soup once it's made, just blend or mash some of the soup and leave some whole vegetables for texture.
2. When making soup with lentils, if it gets too thick, don't worry about the recipe, just add some more water to thin it.
3. Dried herbs should be added at the start of cooking, but fresh herbs should be added right at the end for the best flavour.
4. Remember to season the soup at the end of cooking and taste to check the seasoning.

pin it for later

Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Remember and say hi. I'm always happy to chat and answer questions.

broccoli and carrot soup, broccoli soup, carrot soup, lentil soup, red lentil soup, vegan soup, low calorie soup, soup

dinner

Scottish, vegan, vegetarian

Yield: 6-8

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum (with kind permission)

Broccoli, Carrot & Lentil Soup

A simple but filling broccoli, carrot and lentil soup made with red lentils to give it a pleasing thickness and some gentle spices for flavour. Hearty and delicious!

Prep time: 10 MCook time: 35 MTotal time: 45 M

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 12 tenderstem broccoli, chopped (or half a head of broccoli cut into small florets)
• 6 large carrots, chopped
• 200g/1 cup red lentils
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1.5 litres/5.5 cups vegetable stock (3 stock cubes)
•  a handful of fresh coriander (optional)
• a good grinding of salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
2. Add the spices and carrots and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the broccoli, red lentils and vegetable stock and cook on a gentle heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh coriander and stir in (if you are using it).
5. Enjoy!

Notes:

You can use frozen vegetables in this soup.
If you don't have tenderstem broccoli, you may use a standard broccoli. Half a head will do.
If the soup gets too thick, you can add water. If you are eating it a second or third day, you will probably find it has thickened and will have to add some water.
Once cool keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
You can freeze this soup for 3-4 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight. When reheating you may find you need to add more water.

Calories
128.37

Fat (grams)
3.14

Sat. Fat (grams)
0.51

Carbs (grams)
20.90

Fiber (grams)
6.84

Net carbs
14.06

Sugar (grams)
5.69

Protein (grams)
6.16

Sodium (milligrams)
1102.76

Cholesterol (grams)
0.00

Created using The Recipes Generator