Red lentil and carrot soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 small onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 spring onions
• 2 tbsp olive oil (refined) or peanut oil
• 2 tbsp, leveled curry powder
• 200 g lentils, red
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 500 ml carrot juice
• Sea salt and pepper, black
• e.g. dumplings (millet balls) or vegetable chips, optional
• 100 g spinach, frozen, optional
• e.g. sesame, black, optional

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

easy, quick, vegetarian, vegan, healthy

Take the frozen spinach (fresh baby spinach will theoretically work too) out of the freezer and set aside about 100g – you can use a little more or a little less – on a small plate. Only do this step if you want the spinach in the soup at all. It tastes good either way. Advantage: Spinach is healthy. Disadvantage: If you have any leftover spinach from the soup, reheating it can be a little uncomfortable for some people. Peel and wash the onions and garlic, then finely dice both. Wash and trim the spring onions, then slice them into thin rings. Prepare the red lentils according to the package instructions; this usually doesn’t take long, about 10-15 minutes. Heat the olive oil (you should use refined, high-temperature oil for frying) or the peanut oil in a pan. Lightly fry the onions and garlic in it; if you prefer, you can also just sauté them until translucent. Sprinkle the curry powder over the onions and garlic and fry briefly. Pour the vegetable stock and carrot juice into the pot and bring everything to a boil briefly. Now add the cooked, soft red lentils. If you like, you can lightly purée the soup—although I find it tastier in its raw state. Season with sea salt and pepper. For spinach fans: Now add the thawed spinach and heat gently in the soup. Stir thoroughly. Now you can add a little black sesame—if you like, you can also toast it a little beforehand—about 1 tablespoon or less. Another great option: Sprinkle millet balls (e.g., from Alnatura) or vegetable chips on top just before serving. The red lentils make this dish rich in iron, which is easily absorbed thanks to the vitamin C in the carrots. It’s also quite low in calories. I hope you enjoy it. Feedback or suggestions for improvement are very welcome!