Recipe: Easy Red Lentil Soup

I’m a big fan of beans and pulses, and I think they’re under-used by most of us. Someone was saying to me recently that they didn’t know any ways to cook them, and I promised to come up with a simple recipe that can’t go wrong, and here it is – Easy Lentil Soup (serves 2):

100g red lentils
2 pints veg or chicken stock
1 onion
1 stick celery
1-2 cloves garlic
Any mixed veg – e.g. 2 cabbage leaves, 2 carrots and handful of sweetcorn

Rinse the lentils well and put them in a pan with the stock (stock made from a cube or powder is fine for this recipe if you dont have real stock.) Bring to the boil then simmer gently, covered, until the lentils are beginning to mush up (roughly 30-40 mins) Add the onion, celery and garlic, finely chopped. Simmer for another 20 mins UNcovered. By now the lentils should have almost ‘dissolved’ and the soup begins to thicken. Now add any veg you like, finely chopped, the combination of cabbage, carrot and sweetcorn works well but you can use anything. Simmer for another 10 mins or until the veg is cooked. Season if necessary, and serve.

Overcooking lentils in this way is a lovely way to thicken a soup or casserole. I use red lentils because they don’t take as long – other kinds would need longer cooking. Although the overall cooking time is quite long for this recipe it really is very easy as there’s minimal preparation and you don’t have to stay with it while it cooks.

Energetically, lentils cooked in this way are very nourishing and easy to digest, and will help to clear Dampness from the body.