You can use any fresh root vegetables you have to hand, and the flavour will be different every time. Include an onion if you can as it does help with the flavour, but instead of carrot or potato you can use other vegetables such as butternut squash, sweet potato, parsnips, or swede.
The vegetables are grated, so they cook nice and quickly. You don't have to puree the soup, as it has a very pleasant texture served just as it is, but if you prefer a cream of vegetable soup you can pulse the cooked soup in a blender or food processor to get it as smooth as you want it.
Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes, washed but unpeeled 2 onions, peeled 2 large carrots, scraped 1-2 cloves garlic (optional) 85g/3 oz/half cup red lentils 1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil (but see Method) 2 pints (1 litre) vegetable or chicken stock (use stock cube or powder if you wish)
Serves 4
Method
Grate the vegetables. The speediest way to do this is by using the grating disc in a food processor, but if you've plenty of time you can shred the vegetables quite satisfactorily using a handheld grater.
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the vegetables, stir to coat and leave to sweat for 5-10 minutes over a low heat. You can add 1-2 crushed cloves of garlic at this stage if you wish. You can also omit this stage if you prefer a no-fat soup. The flavour may be a little less intense, but it'll still be good.
Add the lentils. Pour on the hot stock, stir well, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. You can serve the soup at this stage or blend it if you prefer.
Variations
Try adding a few leaves of shredded cabbage or a handful of finely chopped spinach.
Use a different pulse instead of lentils. If you want to use dried beans, you'll need to soak them in cold water overnight then cook them thoroughly according to pack instructions before adding them to the soup. Alternatively, use drained and rinsed canned pulses such as beans, chick peas or lentils.
