Throughout winter I will often make up a big pot of soup, then freeze individual portions of it in zip-lock bags. These make the perfect healthy, convenient winter lunch to take to work. A small mug of homemade soup makes a great healthy instant snack too (there’s no need to buy the processed over-salty instant soup sachets). Here is a soup, full of nutritious ingredients that will satisfy and keep you nourished.
Ingredients
1 | Onion, finely diced |
2 | Carrots, finely diced (Main) |
2 | Celery stalks, finely diced |
2 cloves | Garlic, minced |
1 Tbsp | Fresh ginger, finely chopped |
1 cup | Fresh coriander, leaves picked, stalks chopped |
2 Tbsp | Harissa paste |
1 Tbsp | Tomato paste |
1 Tbsp | Ground cumin |
2 tsp | Ground coriander |
2 tsp | Smoked paprika |
1 Tbsp | Fresh thyme, chopped |
1 can | Chopped tomatoes, 400g, or crushed (Main) |
1 tsp | Liquid honey |
½ cup | Puy lentils, dried variety, rinsed |
4 cups | Stock, chicken or vegetable |
1 can | Chickpeas, 400g, rinsed and drained |
To serve
¼ cup | Fresh coriander, chopped |
¼ cup | Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped |
3 Tbsp | Natural yoghurt, unsweetened |
Directions
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium heat Cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks until soft, about 6 minutes
- Add harissa, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add thyme, canned tomatoes, honey, lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 25 minutes, then add chickpeas and continue simmering for a further 10-15 minutes or until lentils are cooked through (tender, but still firm to the bite).
- Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with coriander, parsley and natural yoghurt.