This wholesome Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Wholemeal Pita Crisps is so tasty and filling – but healthy too!
Red lentils cooked down until sweet and creamy, blended together with onion, peppers, carrots and stock, then finished off with cheddar cheese – stirred in until melty and perfect.
This is a great soup for making in bulk and then taking to work. It freezes and re-heats really well, so I usually split it into portions for a lunch that Chris can grab and take out with him.
If you happen to be eating this at home though, the added topping of crunchy wholemeal pita crisps is a great (and less calorific) alternative to that big chunk of bread.
I’ve been making this soup for about 8 years now – since my daughter was tiny. It started out as a baby puree for her, and I just added a couple of extra ingredients to turn it into a soup for me.
I was a bit puree mad back then. I had to go back to work when she was six-months old, so one of my ways of keeping the mummy-guilt in check was to always make her lovely homemade baby food. I think I tried her on one jar of apple puree when she was about 6 months old, and she puked it all up like something from the Exorcist. Sorry, you probably didn’t need to hear that!
But that was it, I stuck to the homemade stuff after that.
and I've been making this Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Wholemeal Pita Crisps ever since.
Speaking of mummy-guilt, it's the last day of the Easter holidays, and my kids are looking at me pleadingly to take them to the park. Signing off early!
Have a great weekend everyone x
Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Wholemeal Pita Crisps Recipe:
Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Wholemeal Pita Crisps
Ingredients
The Soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion - peeled and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper - deseeded and chopped
- 3 carrots - peeled and chopped
- 100 g red lentils
- 720 ml vegetable stock (use vegetable bouillon for gluten free)
- ¼ tsp salt
- Pinch ground black pepper
- 75 g cheddar cheese, grated
Pita Chips:
- 1 large wholemeal pita bread - gluten free pita if required
- 1.5 tsp olive oil
- Pinch salt
- Pinch pepper
- Pinch paprika
To Serve:
- Extra cheese
- Ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions. Cook for 5-6 minutes until soft. Add in the red pepper and carrots and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add in the lentil and stir to coat in the oil. Add in the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Whilst the soup is simmering, make the pita crisps. Preheat the oven to 180c/350f
- Slice the pita bread into thin strips and place in a heap on a baking tray. Drizzle over the oil and then sprinkle on the salt, pepper and paprika. Use your hands and mix everything up together, so all of the pita strips have a coating of oil.
- Place in the oven and cook for 5 minutes until browned and crispy. Keep and eye on them whilst they’re cooking to make sure they don’t burn.
- Once cooked, take out of the oven and leave on the tray to cool until the soup is ready.
- After the soup has been cooking for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and carefully blend it using a hand blender. The soup should be thick, but you can add a little hot water if you want to thin it down a little.
- Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.
- Divide between three bowls and sprinkle with cheese, pita crisps, black pepper and parsley.
✎ Notes
Nutrition
Barbara says
I love making soup and this is another fab tasty one to add to my list of soups I love.
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Saz, it's a pretty forgiving recipe, so you can replace with fresh or tinned tomatoes if you like. Alternatively it works great with sweet potato - or butternut squash
Thanks :-).
Saz says
nice ! I'll give it a try with tomato. It does sound delicious. You really are a soup genious !!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Saz 🙂
Hope you enjoy it!
Saz says
woooww ! a new delicious soup ! just a small question, what do you think i could substitute red pepper for ? ( i am allergic to peppers). Tomato ? sweet potato ?
again thank you 🙂