This is my own spin on a tasty but healthy spiced carrot and lentil soup. With no soaking required, it's a quick and easy filling soup that's great eaten chunky or smooth and perfect for soup season!
The best part about this hearty soup is that it's an easy recipe that takes herbs and spices really well. And it's an incredibly soothing and filling soup as a main meal.
And there are 2 ways we love to eat it: chunky or smooth and it doesn't take a long time to cook it.
It's also a great soup for whatever time of year and it's delicious served with warm crusty bread and a knob of butter to take the edge off a chilly day.
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☑️Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Tasty and filling
- A very cheap soup
- Uses pantry staples
- One pot and soup maker friendly
- Healthy soup that promotes lower blood pressure
🛒 Ingredient Notes
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.
Cooking oil spray - we're using Frylight for an unofficial Slimming World carrot lentil soup, but you could use olive oil, coconut oil, or butter.
Red onion - for extra flavour, colour and subtle sweetness, or use a green chopped onion
Garlic cloves - we just use 1 for a more complex flavour in the base of the soup, but you mince and saute more if you wish
Large carrots - adds an earthy flavor with natural sweetness, colour, and lovely small pieces when simmering
Chilli flakes - for heat if desired, or use red pepper flakes
Cumin Seeds - or ground cumin seeds for a spicy carrot soup, but a good alternative you could use is garam masala
Hearty red lentils - the star of the slow are these dry lentils as they thicken the soup while cooking and are associated with lowering blood pressure. Alternatively, you could use brown lentils or green lentils, but not in the soup maker.
Stock - we use just over 4 cups of vegetable broth, but you could use low-sodium chicken broth to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
Skimmed milk - for a smoother taste combined with the cumin (and ever tastier with bay leaves)
Kosher salt and black pepper - this is sea salt to add seasoning to taste
Fresh herbs - this isn't essential, but we find coriander in it is the bees knees! Or, you could try fresh parsley.
📋 Instructions
Here's a step by step process for making this lentil soup recipe. (Cooking time fluctuates depending on your large pan and heat setting).
Toast the cumin seeds and chilli flakes in a non stick saucepan or deep frying pan without oil for around 2 minutes while stirring. You should hear crackling noises, but stop when they start to smoke.
Spray with cooking oil spray and add the garlic and onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened.
Add all of the remaining ingredients into the large saucepan (or transfer to a soup maker), including the cumin & flakes still in the pan.
Simmer in a pan for about 20-25 minutes until the lentils & carrots are cooked, or set to smooth or chunky with a Soup Maker
For a citrus burst, add some fresh lemon juice to taste, which really brings out all of the flavours!
Then sprinkle with fresh coriander (fresh cilantro) and serve with crusty bread.
Tips: Blend with a regular blender if you to make it preferred, or you could try blending half for some chunks.
It's a good idea is to use less chilli or cumin warm spices when cooking for young ones. However, some welcome additions could be mild curry powder or garam masala.
👩🍳 Substitutions
Slimming World friendly options - I already estimate this recipe as syn free is using milk as your allowance, but a great way to stay on plan is to add more vegetables such as sweet potatoes, peppers, etc
Meat eaters - for a non-vegetarian option, you could shred the meat off a rotisserie chicken and stir in towards the end for extra protein
Vegans - choose a plant-based milk, like almond milk, creamy coconut milk, and a vegan bouillon instead (or vegetable stock for vegetarians).
GF - use gluten free stock if needed
⚖️ Variations
There are many great ways you can enjoy this recipe that uses simple ingredients. Here are a few ideas to help you add your favorite things:
Spicy - add cayenne pepper or your favorite spice along with a tablespoon of ginger (or grated fresh ginger) for a warming taste
Deluxe - add a bay leaf to the pot, and swap the milk for full fat coconut milk or stir in greek yogurt at the end for a creamy carrot texture.
Young children - add tomato paste for a more familiar taste and make it cheesy.
You might also like my carrot and coriander version here.
🔪 Equipment
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- Weighing scales
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug
- Frying pan
- Food processor if wanting a pureed soup
- Soup maker (if preferred)*
Notes
*You don't need the additional cost of a soup maker with a high speed blender, but we do know this recipe fits ones with a 1.6L capacity.
*If you prefer this delicious flavor combo in a smooth soup or carrot puree, you could blend it with a hand blender or immersion blender. Then add a splash of water or more stock for a thinner consistency if desired.
❄️ Storage
This recipe is perfect for cooking in a big batch in a large pot, so if you have leftovers, then first let your soup cool to room temperature. Then store it immediately in an airtight container.
I recommend storing in the fridge for up to 3 days. But if you want to store it in the freezer to plan for a cold day ahead, then I would freeze it for up to 3 months.
Reheating
When reheating the next day, you'll notice it will be much thicker. Simply heat it in a pan over the stove until piping hot or microwaveable soup bowls and it will thin once warm.
💡Pro Tips
- Always put all of your ingredients into the soup maker first before the stock. The reason is that if the quantity level reaches the allowed amount, it won't start!
- We think a carrot based soup with an aromatic fresh sprig of coriander (cilantro) stirred in adds a lot of flavor
- Don't simmer on the hob with the lid on at high heat, as the milk is more likely to bubble up and create spillage. Cook your pot over medium heat if you want to keep the lid on.
❓ FAQ
This carrot red lentil soup is particularly good for weight loss as it's low in fat and high in protein to help you feel fuller for longer.
You're in luck because lentils don't need to be soaked before cooking whereas beans do! You could also use green or yellow lentils.
You can always make my soups on a hob. The benefit of a soup maker is that you can drop in the ingredients and it takes that manual steps away.
From some testing, we found green lentils catch at the bottom of your soup maker. But cooking it on the stove is perfectly fine.
You could simmer for longer, evaporating the moisture until you reach your desired consistency. or even stir in mashed potatoes (or instant mash)
This carrot soup recipe is perfect for multicookers such as the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodie, etc. Once you've sauteed the onions and garlic, add everything to the pot and cook on pressure cooker mode for 10 minutes.
Absolutely! This simple carrot and lentil soup recipe is perfect for slow cooking! You can skip sauteeing if preferred, then chuck everything in the pot and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours, or high heat for 3-4 hours.
➕ More Soup Recipes
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You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.➕ More Vegetarian Recipes
If you need help with some meal prep, why not try one of these?
You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.📖 Recipe
Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup {Unofficial Slimming World}
Ingredients
- oil spray
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 600 g carrots peeled & diced
- ⅛ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 140 g red lentils
- 1 litre water *add to your soup maker last in case you need slightly less when reaching the maximum line
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- 125 ml skimmed milk *to be counted or used as your allowance
Instructions
- Toast the cumin seeds and chilli flakes in a non stick saucepan or deep frying pan without oil for around 2 minutes while stirring. You should hear crackling noises, but stop when they start to smoke.
- Spray with cooking oil spray and add the garlic and onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients in to the pan (or transfer to a soup maker), including the cumin & flakes still in the pan.
- Simmer in a pan for about 20-25 minutes until the lentils & carrots are cooked, or set to smooth or chunky with a Soup Maker
- Blend if preferred, or why not only blend half of the soup for a portion and serve with crusty bread.
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Video
Notes
- Always put all of your ingredients into the soup maker first before the stock. The reason is that if the quantity level reaches the allowed amount, it won't start!
- We think a carrot based soup with an aromatic fresh sprig of coriander (cilantro) stirred in adds a lot of flavor
- Don't simmer on the hob with the lid on at high heat, as the milk is more likely to bubble up and create spillage. Cook your pot over medium heat if you want to keep the lid on.
Claire
Just made this soup in my soup maker. Lovely flavour & perfect consistency.