This spicy lentil and tomato soup gained the affectionate name of magic soup about 10 years ago when I was trying to lose some weight.  I followed a diet plan which included the precursor to this soup and found that whenever I had this soup I always seemed to be a pound or two lighter the next day.  I shared the recipe with a couple of friends and they found the same.  Hence magic soup 🙂

Now I can’t guarantee you the same results but what you will find is that this is a really tasty, substantial and healthy soup.  In my diet phase (far behind me now!), I would eat half the quantity as a very satisfying main meal but nowadays we tend to have it as a lunch with bread, in which case it’s ample for 3 people.

If you’re catering for people with varying tastes for chilli then you can omit the chilli and offer tabasco or any hot chilli sauce to season at the table.

And if you’d like a little music while you cook this is a superbly appropriate and fun blast from the 70s.

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Spicy Lentil And Tomato Soup

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 1 dsp of olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 medium carrots diced
• 120 g dried red lentils
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes adjust to your chilli preference
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 400g
• 1 pint of vegetable stock
• Black pepper

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick plan and add the onion and garlic.
• Cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion then add the spices and stir well.
• Add the diced carrot, cover and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil.
• Simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender. If the soup gets too thick as it cooks add a bit more boiling water.
• Add freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

Vegan as long as you make sure your vegetable stock is vegan.