A perfect, hearty and warm chilli soup recipe with lentils. This is a winter favourite and a perfect choice when you want something easy, cosy and filling. This recipe is vegan and gluten free (you can swap the cheese and nachos for your diet restrictions).
Soup is my childhood food. My mum used to make a massive pot of this goodness all the time. Every single week we’d have a different type of soup – a mix of vegetable, beetroot, bean, pea soup – basically any type of soup you can think of. It was the one meal that no matter what, had to be cooked during the cold months. Somehow it felt like nothing could make us warm if we hadn’t had our bowl of boiling hot soup. Bliss.
After I came to London, I tried to incorporate this meal into our diet as much as possible. I searched far and wide for new flavours and combinations. As a result, chilli soup is now my winter go-to choice! Because I’m currently trying to reduce my meat consumption, I substituted mincemeat for lentils. They give much-needed richness but allow it to be a vegan meal.
Here’s a complete recipe for this amazing chilli soup with lentils.
Chilli Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the soup:
2 carrots
¼ leek
1 red paprika
1 tin of kidney beans
1 teaspoon of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 tin of tomatoes
1 jar of Merchant Gourmet Lentil Chilli
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
To serve:
1 avocado
Grated cheese
Nachos
Chilli flakes
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the finely chopped carrots and leek. Cook them for a couple of minutes until they get softer.
- Add the chopped paprika, drained kidney beans, tomato puree and spices. Cook everything together for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, a jar of Merchant Gourmet Lentil Chilli and a tin of water. Stir everything together. Season the soup for your liking.
- Bring to the boil, add the lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve the soup with cubed avocados, grated cheese, chilli flakes and nacho chips on the side.
