This is one of my favourite soups and the perfect kind of food to be eating at this time of year - warming, hearty, and immensely nutritious! Tarragon is great addition; with its warming fennel-like flavours, it adds another delicious dimension to the flavour of the soup. This is a low calorie recipe that still packs loads of protein and iron. Plus it's just too quick and easy not to cook it!
Ingredients (makes 4 portions):
1 Tbsp rapeseed oil
One large white onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
350g closed-cup / chestnut mushrooms, sliced
260g fresh spinach
2 x 400g tins green / puy lentils
1 litre veg stock (vegan bouillon ideally)
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method:
Heat the oil in a large cooking pot, then sauté the onion for 5 minutes, until beginning to soften, then add the garlic and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes. Next, add add the mushrooms and lentils, and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown. Meanwhile, wash the spinach in a colander. I like to take a few snips through the spinach with a pair of scissors as this prevents it from clumping together too much. Add the stock to the pan (try half of it at first, and add more if you like your soup more 'brothy') and chuck the spinach in and stir through until wilted. Next add the herbs (use half the tarragon at first as it can be overpowering if too much added). And that's it - so simple and easy. Rip off some chunks of crusty wholemeal bread to dunk, and your set to go!
Nutrition (per serving with 2 slices wholemeal bread):
Protein: 23.2g (Women: 46.4% / Men: 42.1%)
Iron: 8.2mg (Women: 55.4% / Men: 72.6%)
Calories: 368 (Women: 18.4% / Men: 14.7%)
Sugar: 8.9g (Women: 9.9% / Men: 7.4%)
Total Fats: 6.3g (Women: 9.0% / Men: 6.6%)
Saturated Fat: 0.8g (Women: 4.0% / Men: 2.7%)
Salt: 1.6g (Women: 26.7% / Men: 26.7%)
Fibre: 17.5g (Women: 58.3% / Men: 58.3%)
See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.