Winter Warmer Tomato & Lentil Soup (Soups)

Member Name: rosebud2001

Product:	Soups
Date:	13/02/09 (370 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quck and easy to make, tastes delicious

Disadvantages: None!

The weather has been truly awful for the past couple of weeks and one of the best things to keep you warm is soup. And I find the best kind of soup is the home made variety!

When I was a child I always thought soup took an awful long time to make - my grandma always made stock from chicken carcasses but her soup itself was pretty watery and nothing special.

As a result for years if I wanted soup, I stuck to the canned variety, but with the advent of chilled soups, I have realised you can make a hearty soup without having to spend all day on it.

My favourite soup has always been lentil, and this is my own tomato and lentil soup which is quick, easy and most importantly, hearty. It is also vegetarian, and vegan, so is suitable for most diets and serves 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
110g red lentils
Herbs of your own choice (I like parsley)
450 ml stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Fry the onion and garlic until it is soft in a little olive oil.

Add the tomatoes and stock. I usually use a bouillon stock - Marigold Swiss Vegetable is my favourite, along with the lentils and herbs. Season with a little pepper and salt if desired.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes and voila - your soup is ready!

I like this soup to be rustic so I don't blend it down, but my daughter thinks it looks too much like a lentil stew, and prefers it blended. I think in polite company the blended version might be more successful.

You can also add other vegetables to this if you choose - so any carrot or celery stick lying forlornly in your fridge can be finely chopped or shredded and added with the lentils.

You can also cheat by using frozen or dried garlic or onions, and dried herbs, making this a real store cupboard soup.

So if you are feeling chilly and want something to warm you up, try making this soup and serving it with a couple of slices of fresh buttered bread - I promise it will do the trick!

Summary: A quick soup to make, suitable for most diets