Description
A vibrant and nutritious curried spinach and lentil soup, packed with warming spices, lentils, fresh spinach, and topped with a zesty cashew and coriander chutney. This hearty soup is perfect for a wholesome lunch or light dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed (divided)
- ¼ tsp hot chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp medium curry powder
- 160g dried brown lentils
- 1.2l low-salt vegetable stock
- 500g spinach
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
Chutney
- large bunch coriander
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil (remaining from total 2 tbsp)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed (remaining from total 2 cloves)
- 30g unsalted cashew nuts, toasted
- 1–2 tbsp water
- lemon zest (from the 2 lemons)
Instructions
- Prepare the base: Heat 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add spices and garlic: Add half of the crushed garlic cloves, hot chilli powder, cumin seeds, and medium curry powder to the pan. Stir well and cook for an additional 1 minute to release the flavors.
- Add lentils and stock, then simmer: Pour in the dried brown lentils and the low-salt vegetable stock. Stir to combine, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer gently over medium-low heat for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender.
- Make the cashew chutney: Place the coriander, remaining rapeseed oil, remaining crushed garlic clove, toasted cashew nuts, and lemon zest into a food processor. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and blitz until the mixture is semi-smooth. Transfer the chutney to a bowl and set aside.
- Add spinach to the soup: Stir the spinach into the soup and cook for 5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.
- Blend half the soup: Carefully transfer half of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Return the blended soup to the saucepan and stir well.
- Finish the soup: Stir through the lemon juice to taste, adjusting the flavor as desired.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with generous dollops of the cashew chutney.
Notes
- Use low-salt vegetable stock to keep the soup healthful.
- To reduce time, use pre-cooked lentils but adjust cooking time accordingly.
- Adjust chilli powder amount to your preferred heat level.
- The cashew chutney adds a creamy and tangy element that complements the soup perfectly.
- This soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian-inspired
Keywords: curried spinach soup, lentil soup, vegetarian soup, Indian soup, healthy soup, cashew chutney, lentils, spinach
