Jenny’s Secret Carrot and Red Lentil Soup (25 Min, Vegetarian)
- Updated on Jul 14, 2014
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The Burger Issue
It’s an old story, we’ve all been there before; long day at work, the last hour comes, so does another, and suddenly you’re hungry – really bloody hungry.
On the way home is a McDonalds, so you treat yourself to two or maybe even three €1 burgers. They taste alright, they fill you up a bit.
It wont hurt, you tell yourself. But it probably will. Your body and your wallet. It’s certainly not a long term solution to a hungry belly anyway.
I needed to end this vicious cycle – and that’s where Jenny came in. I’ll always thank her for this – her carrot and lentil soup.
Jenny: “No, it’s really so simple to make.”
At first I “only” appreciated the taste, thinking that I couldn’t possibly make it myself because it tasted so good, and I’m crap at cooking. Always have been.
But I asked for the ingredients and cooking time anyway. 5 ingredients, 25 minutes. Hmmm…easier than I thought.
I tried it myself a few days later, preparing for the classic “this takes much longer and tastes much worse” result. But no, it was just as good as Jenny’s version.
I did it again, it worked again. As it has done every time since.
To see if I wasn’t just assuming that it actually made sense to swap some cheeseburgers for the soup (assumption is the brother of all fuck ups after all) I investigated.
Turns out the soup is healthier than pretty much anything I’d ever eaten before..
Health Benefits – Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
The soup (red lentils and carrots) contains a lot of fiber, which is great, because most people eat less than 50% of the daily recommended amount (1).
Fiber has some great benefits: it decreases the risk of diabetes, heart attacks and other stuff (2).Fiber actually makes you feel full too – you won’t be hankering after any other food for a while.
Can you say the same for a burger?
You’re less hungry throughout the day. You eat less. You lose weight (3). That’s a win-win in my book.
And finally one bowl contains around 30g of protein. That’s better than a couple of burgers. If I went to the gym, I’d be laughing!
Beginning of the End of the Burger Issue
Jenny’s red lentil soup is a fantastic step towards a healthier life with less burgers. And it’s a tasty one too.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 carrot
- 1 onion
- 4 cup vegetable broth
- ¾ cup low fat Greek Yogurt
- ¾ cup red lentils, dried
Optional:
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic (1 clove = ½ tsp dried)
Instructions
- Get a pot, pop it on a low heat and add the olive oil.1 tsp olive oil
- Cut the carrots, onion and grate the garlic.2 carrot, 1 onion, 1 clove garlic
- Throw them in the pot, cook for a minute or two and chuck the lentils in after.¾ cup red lentils, dried
- Stir a little until the lentils are covered with oil (they open their pores which then tastes better).
- Add the vegetable broth.4 cup vegetable broth
- Let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the lemon juice.1 tbsp lemon juice
- Blend it with a hand blender if available, don't worry if you cant.
- Stir in the yogurt.¾ cup low fat Greek Yogurt
- Ready (eat with bread, add your favourite herbs for variety, and some more yogurt or sour cream).
NOTES
Nutrition
Comments
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49 comments
Hi everyone,
I’m not very creative person when it comes to cooking …so could you tell me please- do you really put yoghurt together with broth and cook it all the way through 15-20min with all other ingerdients? :))
Hi Martina,
yes, that works. But similarly, I’m sure it works fine if you just add the yogurt as a last step before serving 🙂
Wow this came out so good! I was skeptical at first because mine looked a lot different from the photo while it was first coming together but the end result was so delicious! I also just started the 7 week high protein meal plan because I have been doing a pretty heavy duty weights program and noticed I was lacking energy and just not getting enough nutrients & calories to keep my body going properly! Excited to see how this will effect my energy levels and overall performance. Thanks for the yummy recipes !!
Ah thanks Julie! Really glad you enjoyed it so much, that makes me happy to read. Good luck with the weights and workouts, I hope you get the energy levels sorted! No doubt the soup can help 🙂
This looks great in the pics and video but I made it last night using the portions for 4ppl… and 10 cups of broth was way too much liquid! It was so watery and very disappointing.
Im sorry to hear that, Tiffany! Deffo gonna try it out again soon. As far as I know the amount of broth was fine. Will get back.
Really enjoy this recipe, I make it at least once a month. Easy to make, very good flavor. Tasty way to end the day. I love trying out all the high-protein vegetarian dishes!
Yay, thanks Vanessa! Really glad you like it! Deffo lots of protein to be found in the veggie world 🙂
Done this one for the n-th time, and still happy with the easiness and flavours – added a personal twist this time… leftover red veggies out of the fridge: red paprika, red onion, purple carrot.. the result is a fun coral red soup topped with fresh thaï basil 🙂
I’m becoming more and more vegetarian since I discovered your blog in 2016 and just can’t keep up how many people ask me for your recipes. It’s so easy to share with friends since everything is so delicious and easy !
Hi Letizia, ah wow!! So you’ve been with us for ages, thank you! Really happy to hear we’ve been able to inspire you to go more and more veggie – that’s absolutely our goal. Your additions to this recipe sound great – deffo gonna add purple carrot the next time I make it! Thanks for writing – see you around the site 🙂
Hi,
I tried the recipe today and am still wondering how something so quick and easy can be soooo delicious!?
Thanks so much on the recipe. I know it will become our new staple 🙂
Aww, thanks Monika! Very kind of you to say, and really glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for writing, too 🙂
Hi can you tell me is it really about 600gm per serving? thats alot, what if I cant eat it all?
Hi Melody! That sounds about right for a serving :). I’d say if you can’t eat it all in one go then it’s definitely possible to keep in the fridge and reheat within a day or two – otherwise freezer should be fine as well!