Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

So many utensils

There is nothing better for me on a cold winter’s evening than hearing a pot of soup bubbling away on the hob, promising deliciousness and warmth to come.  Because I am *so* Irish.

This particular one is adapted from one of my favourite series’ of little cookbooks, the BBC Good Food Healthy Eats book. I don’t do diets, but I do do soup. And this was a revelation. Thick, silky smooth, wonderfully coloured and highly flavourful. My notoriously hard to please boyfriend even complimented it, which I am counting as a super win.

Ingredients

• 100g red lentils
• 1tbsp oil
• 1 small red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1tbsp curry powder, I used mild madras
• 1 tsp turmeric, my favourite spice ever
• 350g floury potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm chunks (about one large potato)
• 450g sweet potato, prepared as above (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• salt and pepper

Method

Prepare the lentils by cooking in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, and drain.

Lentils, pre boiling.

Meanwhile, heat the oil, fry the garlic for about 5 minutes until softened and then add in the onions and peppers.

Fry for a few more minutes and add in the spices. Stir for a minute or two, then add in the potatoes and make sure to get them covered in the lovely curried veggies. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Damn utensils, sneaking into shot AGAIN.

Add the drained lentils and stock, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

Pre-blending. A lovely simmering of spuds.

Remove from the heat, and blend until smooth. I used my new hand blender because my food processor is too small to fit all that soup.

Place back on the heat, and salt and pepper to taste.

Too hungry to take a better photo.

Serves four.. Full disclosure, I had it with a bacon buttie, to totally negate any health benefits.