Roasted Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
Roasted Carrot and Red lentil soup is a simple, easy to make soup that has tons of flavour. It’s not only delicious, but also nutritious and completely vegetarian.
If you have been following my blog, you will know how much I like to sneak red lentils into a vegetable-based soup to up the protein. In my recipes for Curried Sweet Potato Soup, and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger and Orange the lentils have played more of a supporting role; pureed along with the vegetables they add protein and vitamins, but you can’t tell they are there.
In this Roasted Carrot and Red lentil soup, the lentils play a bigger role. They are an equal partner with beautifully caramelized roasted carrots.
The lentils are cooked down until they break apart into a dal like consistency, creating the body of the soup. Carrots are roasted until tender, and slightly caramelized, adding a hint of sweetness to the soup.
Thick and satisfying, it works as a soup or as a stew when served with rice. Either way you will want to have your favorite flat bread on the side to mop up every last drop.
Roasting the Carrots
Roasting the carrots allows their natural sweetness to really shine through. As the carrots roast, they develop deep, concentrated flavor and golden, caramelized edges.
The carrots can be roasted ahead of time, then diced and added in with the lentils for the last 10 minutes of cooking. The beauty of using red lentils is they cook so quickly. Once the carrots are roasted the soup itself comes together in less than 30 minutes.
This soup can also be made with squash or sweet potato that has been peeled, cut into cubes and roasted, or a combination of all three.
The Spices
What’s great about this soup is you can really play around with the spices you use. You can change up the spices you use depending on what flavours you are in the mood for.
Moroccan/Tunisian Spices
This is probably my favorite spicing for this soup. The carrots pair exceptionally well with the cinnamon, cumin, and orange.
Season the soup with cinnamon, turmeric, cumin seeds and either a tablespoon of a Ras el hanout or Harissa spice blend or a combination of ground coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, and ground ginger.
Indian Spices
If you like a classic red lentil dal, then you will enjoy this soup seasoned with classic Indian spices. Omit the orange juice and zest and flavour the soup with cumin seeds, turmeric, curry powder, and ground coriander along with some freshly grated ginger.
Smoky Southwestern Spices
For a southwestern spin, take your inspiration from spices used in a chili. Omit the orange juice and zest and use smoked chipotle chili powder, paprika, cumin seeds and a little cayenne for some extra kick/heat.
Ingredients
- 1½ – 2 lbs carrots
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 medium onion peeled, and thinly sliced
- 1¼ cup dried red lentils
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
For a Moroccan/ Tunisian Spiced soup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp Ras el hanout or Harissa spice blend (or ½ tsp each smoked paprika, ground coriander, ground ginger and ⅛ tsp cayenne.
- 1 orange juice and zest
For an Indian Spiced Soup
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 tsp curry powder
Southwestern Chili Spiced Soup
- 1 tsp smoked chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp cayenne
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the carrots. For larger carrots, cut into approximately 2-3 inch pieces, cutting any thicker pieces in half lengthwise so the pieces are all roughly the same size. This will allow the carrots to cook evenly.Place the carrots on a baking tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Place the tray in the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add the thinly sliced onion and turn the carrots Roast for another 15- 20 minutes. The carrots are ready when they have some brown caramelization and are tender. Set them aside to cool. Note: the carrots can be roasted ahead, once cooled store refrigerated until ready to make the soup.
- In a Dutch oven or stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the spices based on your soup flavour preference and cook, stirring, for 1 minute ( if making the Indian spiced soup add in the fresh ginger with the spices). Stir in the lentils and add the stock. If making the Moroccan/Tunisian spiced version, add the zest and juice of the orange now.Bring to a light boil, reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the lentils are simmering, cut the roasted carrots into ¼ inch dice. After the lentils have cooked for 10 minutes, add the diced carrots. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the lentils are falling apart.
