Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Leaves are turning gold and the mornings are darker as we head into Autumn. And after enjoying salads during the Summer months I now start yearning for warming soups at lunchtime. Pumpkins and parsnips are some of the seasonal produce at the Farmers Market in Lyttelton were we shop each week for all our groceries. There are still courgettes and green beans in season, so lovely to combine with the root vegetables.

I love to add red lentils to vegetables in my soups. The soup stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days or so and increases in flavour over those days.  I enjoy the soup for lunch with different accompaniments such as feta cheese or cooked meats. I also like to serve with hummus or egg mayonnaise on toast or crackers.

Often I will also add some shredded spinach, silver beet (swiss chard) or kale leaves on reheating and feel even more content that I am also getting my fresh green leaves!

 Ingredients~ here the vegetables I use but all sorts can be used as you prefer

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 small onions or 1 medium onion (omit if Low FODMAP or replace if wished with the green part of spring onions )
• 2 cloves garlic (omit if Low FODMAP and replace if wished with garlic infused oil)
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 1/4 small pumpkin – about 2 cups of chopped amount
• 4 field mushrooms  or 1 cup button mushrooms
• 2 courgettes (zucchini)
• 1 cup of green beans
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• 1 litre water or stock as you prefer

Method

1. Chop the onion and crush the garlic. Chop the carrots, parsnips and pumpkin into cubes about 1 cm square, the mushrooms into slices about 1/2 cm thick, courgettes into rounds, green beans into lengths of about 2 to 3 cm.
2. Gently cook the onion and garlic in oil until a little transparent – about 2 minutes.
3. Add the carrot, parsnip and pumpkin along with the mustard, tomato paste, salt and pepper. If adding salted stock then leave out any extra salt. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Then add the water or stock. Cook for another 15 minutes until the vegetables are almost cooked.
5. Add the mushrooms, courgettes, green beans and lentils. Cook for another 15 minutes. Add more water as needed.
6. Check for seasoning.

Serve as  is or with bread or crackers spread with butter or with hummus or egg mayonnaise. Also nice is to add pieces of feta cheese, a sprinkle of grated cheddar, cooked meat or fish to the soup as wished.

It will store really nicely in the fridge and keep up to 4 days or freeze for another round of lunches. On reheating your lunch it is also nice to add some fresh green leaves such as spinach, silver beet (swiss chard) or kale for colour, taste and health!