Roasted pepper and red lentil soup

Who doesn’t like soup of some kind? I've enjoyed it for as long as I can remember and like to make really hearty ones that can be a meal rather than just an appetizer.

I watched and helped my mum cook loads of different varieties of soup growing up and so making soup just comes naturally to me. They really are so easy to cook and most of the ones I make are super healthy and nutritious. I never use soup recipes as I have an instinct for what flavors will work well together and for how to go about making them, but if you are not so confident then try a few recipes and I’m sure then you’ll have the confidence to create your own too.

Roasted pepper and lentil soup with brown bread.

Former colleagues of mine will remember me arriving at work once or twice a week with my thermos of home-made soup to have for lunch. I’d bring little pots of fresh herbs to add when serving it up, pots of grated cheese to put in it depending on the soup, maybe some tapenade too to spread on the huge crusty French baguette I would no doubt have with me to eat with it and dunk in the soup! There are few things better than a really good bowl of soup with all the trimmings for lunch or dinner.

I love peppers and often make a roasted red pepper and tomato soup but this week I had mostly yellow peppers in my fridge so I thought I’d try a new flavor combination. Red lentils are great in soups and I’ve been using them in vegetable soups since forever as my mum does too, so I had a feeling they’d work well with the peppers. I was right, the result is a tasty, flavorful, vegetarian, hearty and healthy soup.

I used a mixture of different colored peppers but mostly yellow, but you can use whatever colors you like. I think red, yellow and orange compliment the lentils most due to their sweetness. So give this recipe a go and be inspired to create your own soup recipes.

Roasted pepper and red lentil soup

Ingredients

3-4 large peppers, deseeded and cut into large chunks

2 large green chilies, deseeded and cut into chunks

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole

Olive oil

Seasoning

1 white onion, diced

1 cup of red lentils

2-3 more cloves of garlic, minced

1 litre of vegetable stock (I used stock cubes to make this)

2 bay leaves

Coriander to serve

A little cream or sour cream to serve.

Juicy peppers and green chilies

Peppers, garlic and chilies ready to be roasted

Red lentils

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180. On a baking tray or roasting tin put the peppers, chilies and whole garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast in the oven for approximately 25 mins until softened and starting to caramelize.

Already roasted.

While the peppers are roasting place the onion, minced garlic, bay leaves and lentils in a big saucepan and add the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 mins. Then turn of the heat and remove the bay leaves.

Onion, garlic and lentils.

Place the cooked peppers, chilies and garlic in the saucepan with the lentils, and use a stick blender to blend to the consistency you prefer (I like it smooth so you can only see tiny specks of the peppers). You could also transfer to a blender if you don’t have a stick blender. Then put back on the heat in the saucepan and simmer for a further 5-10 mins to allow the flavors of the peppers and the lentils to come together.

Peppers added to the lentils and onion.

 

The peppers have been combined with the lentils.

 

To serve I like to add a drizzle of cream (or scoop of sour cream) and some freshly chopped coriander (or parsley) and some freshly ground black pepper. Perfect with a nice crusty brown or granary bread.

Soup with cream and coriander in to serve.

Roasted pepper and lentil soup with feta, tomato and basil toasts!

So simple but packed full of flavor and goodness!