Carrot and Lentil Soup with Coriander

5 from 7 votes

Carrot and Lentil Soup with Coriander

This easy carrot and lentil soup with coriander manages to taste fresh and lively whilst also being deeply nourishing and gratifying. It's also naturally vegan.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Course: lunch, Supper

Cuisine: soup, Worldwide

Servings:

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 Onion white & mild
1 Celery stick
1 Garlic clove
1 teaspoon Ground coriander
450 g Carrot
150 g Red lentils
1250 ml Vegetable stock homemade or low sodium (ensure vegan and/ or gluten-free if diet requires)
200 ml Reduced-fat coconut milk Canned
20 g Fresh coriander leaves removed from the stalks
¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Salt - to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Peel the onion then dice both the onion and celery stick finely. Fry in the oil over a moderate heat for around 5 minutes until beginning to soften
Peel and finely chop the garlic and add to the pan, along with the ground coriander
Next peel and dice the carrot. Aim for ½ cm cubes. Drop into the pan, stir everything together and cook for 3 minutes
Pour in the lentils and stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, covered for 20 minutes, by which times the lentils should begin to break down and the carrot should be tender
Pour the coconut milk into the base of a heatproof blender jug and ladle in around ¼ of the soup (see notes). Cover and blitz until smooth. Add ¾ of the fresh coriander and pulse 3-4 times until the herb is finely chopped
Pour the pureed soup back into the pan, taste & season as necessary (see notes) and reheat before serving, garnished with the fresh coriander leaves and perhaps a swirl of coconut milk and some pumpkin seeds if desired

Video

Notes

Make short work of the onion and carrot chopping by using a food processor
Ramp up the spice level by adding 1 teaspoon of cumin and ¼ teaspoon of chilli powder
Orange carrots work best in this recipe. Avoid using purple or yellow ones
The thickness of this soup will depend how much of it is pureed in the blender. For a very thick and smooth soup, the whole lot can be blended, but for a thinner soup, as pictured, aim for ¼ - ⅓ of it being blended
If you are not sure how thick to make it, try blending a bit at a time until you achieve a consistency you are happy with
The exact amount of salt required will depend on the saltiness of your stock. I used ½ teaspoon salt, but this will need adjusting up or down in accordance with your stock - taste, taste and taste some more
You can use frozen coriander if you don't have fresh to hand. Try adding 1-2 tablespoons
This soup can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or frozen (see notes below)

Making it in a slow cooker

Simply put all ingredients except the coconut milk and fresh coriander into your slow cooker and let cook for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high. Proceed to process some of the soup in a blender, along with the fresh coriander and coconut milk, then stir back into the rest of the soup.

Freezing instructions

Allow to cool to room temperature before decanting into freezer-proof containers
Don't fill the container to the brim. Instead, leave at least a 1.5 cm space below the lid before sealing since the soup will expand as it freezes
Freeze soup in individual portion sizes. These can be pulled out as and when required for the right number of diners. It's surprising how often single servings can come in handy in a busy household
Always label the container clearly - with the soup type and the use by date to ensure it doesn't languish in the deep freeze indefinitely (says the voice of sorry experience)
Let defrost fully at room temperature or in the fridge before heating to piping hot before serving

Nutrition