Red Lentil Soup With Lemon Yogurt

This delicious and substantial vegetarian soup is a perfect warming dish for a cold winters night. To prepare ahead, make the soup up to the end of step 2, then cool it thoroughly before reheating and completing the soup.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 1  sprig fresh thyme
• 2  carrots, finely diced
• 2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1  red chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 1  teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
• 3  tomatoes, roughly diced
• 100  g red lentils
• 1 1⁄4 liters  hot  vegetable stock
• 4  tablespoons  Greek yogurt
• 1  finely grated lemon, juice and zest of
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion, thyme and the carrots for about 3-4 minutes until begining to soften. Add the garlic, chilli and mustard seeds and cook for a further couple of minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 30 mins until the lentils are tender and easy to crush.
3. Mix together the yogurt, half of the lemon zest and season to taste. Squeeze the lemon juice into the soup and season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls and serve with a spoonful of the lemon yogurt, scattered with the remaining lemon zest and some freshly ground black pepper.