I wanted to try out this simply lentil soup recipe from one of Gordon Ramsey’s book. I liked its simplicity and mix of spices. It’s quite similar similar to a red lentil dahl.
Ingredients for the Spiced Lentil Soup
This spiced lentil soup is made with the following ingredients:
- 320g split red lentils
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1,000 ml veg stock
Soy yoghurt and coriander leaves and chilli powder/chilli flakes to taste
How to Make this Spiced Lentil Soup
To make this soup, you start by sautéing the onions and garlic in a pot with the oil for about five minutes until the onions start to turn golden.
You then add the ground spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomato puree.
After that you prepare tour stock and add it to the pot. Then rinse the lentils in cold water and add to the pot.
Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer for around 20 minutes until the lentils have reached a soft consistency and don’t have much bite left.
In order to make the soup smoother (but not completely smooth), I took a hand blender and blended to the soup to the desired consistency. If you don’t have a hand blender, you can achieve similar results by placing around half of the soup into a regular blender, then blend, and return the soup to the pot.
How to add more flavour to the spiced lentil soup?
I enjoy the flavour of this soup. I like the mix of the spices and the semi-smooth texture of the soup.
I did find that adding some soy yoghurt and fresh chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves really added to the flavour. The tanginess from the yoghurt and fresh herbs really finished it off nicely.
In the Gordon Ramsey version he uses regular natural yoghurt so you can also use this for a similar flavour, however I wanted to try a vegan version.
Although this is a spiced soup there is not a lot of heat in the form of spice. I added a bit of chilli powder to add a bit of heat, and I recommend doing that or adding a few chilli flakes or fresh chilli if you like things a bit spicy.
Similar Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this type of recipe then you will probably enjoy a lentil dahl or curry. I have a low fat Easy Red Lentil Dahl that is one of my favourites along with a creamier Creamy Red Lentil Curry with Coconut Milk
For more lentil soup recipes I highly recommend my Easy Chickpea and Red Lentil Soup and Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup.
I love that these recipes are all one pot recipes so you can make loads and save extra portions for later.
Spiced Lentil Soup – Gordon Ramsey (ish)
Ingredients
- 1 onion (large, chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 320 g red lentils
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- cilantro (coriander) leaves (to serve)
- Greek style soy yoghurt
- black pepper
- chilli flakes/powder/fresh chilli
Instructions
- Add the oil to a pot on the hob and place on a medium hight heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for around 5 minutes until they are soft and start to go golden/brown.
- Add all the ground spices and tomato puree to the pot and cook for another minute stirring everything in.
- Rinse the lentils in cold water and drain. Prepare the vegetable stock. Add both to the pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cook on a gentle simmer for around 20-25 minutes stirring regularly.
- To create more smooth consistency, take a hand blender and blend the soup until partially blended but not fully blended. You can also achieve this by removing half the soup, adding to a blender, blending and then adding back to the pot.
- Serve the soup in bowls. Add some black pepper, soy yoghurt, fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves and some chilli if you like a little heat.
