Spiced tomato, lentil and chickpea soup

Brrr, it's chilly out there! The blanket of snow over the UK even settled in my little seaside town, but true to form it melted within hours. There's just a small dusting left in shaded areas. Sigh. I drove past our wedding venue on Saturday, and it looked absolutely stunning covered in snow. I longed for snow on our wedding day as it would've been perfect for the Winter Wonderland we were trying to create, but sadly, it wasn't to be. But, I digress...

When the temperatures are as cold as today, I love a good spicy soup to warm my cockles. A hearty soup is a Winter essential for me ~ it's filling, it's healthy {depending on the ingredients, of course} and it's the perfect fuel to warm  up on a cold and snowy day. My most recent concoction was laughably simple and crammed full of flavour. The best bit? The ingredients are things that I always, always have in my store cupboard.

Ingredients

1 - 2 teaspoons ground cumin, depending on preference {I sometimes use cumin seeds, equally delicious}

A good pinch of dried chilli flakes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

800ml vegetable stock

400g tin tomatoes

150g red lentils {I used more this time as I had a few left in the bottom of my jar}

200g chickpeas, drained and rinsed {I used a carton which had a little more, but I'd even happily use a full 400g tin}

80ml milk {optional, but it provides a touch of creaminess}

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Put a pan on a medium heat, and add the chilli flakes. Cook for a few seconds to release the aroma ~ be careful not to burn them! {If using cumin seeds instead of powder, add this now too}.

2. Add the olive oil, ground cumin and onions, and fry gently until softened. If you find the spices are sticking to the pan, add a little water/vegetable stock to glaze.

3. Stir through the lentils to coat them in the spicy oniony flavours {I find lentils really absorb the flavours more this way} then add in the vegetable stock and tomatoes.

4. Bring it all to the boil, stir, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the lentils have softened and the soup has thickened.

5. Add the milk, half of the chickpeas and salt and pepper, and simmer for a further few minutes so that the chickpeas warm through.

6. Optional step ~ transfer the hot soup to a blender and whizz for a minute or so. This adds a lovely thickness and texture to the soup.

7. Return to the pan, add in the remaining chickpeas and simmer again until the chickpeas are warm.  You could use all of the chickpeas prior to blending for a smooth, creamy soup, but I really like the little nuggets you get with every mouthful.

 8. Pour some into a bowl and enjoy! When/if reheating this, you might find you need to add more water/stock. This is because the lentils continue to absorb the liquid while they're hot, so they thicken the soup. This soup also freezes well, so is ideal if you want to make a big batch for work lunches.

Have you been enjoying the snow or has it caused too much havoc?

♥

{If you're reading this and the blog is looking a little... odd, don't worry, I'm just readjusting the layout and updating a few things!}