Makes 2 large bowls
Ingredients:
- 150g red lentils
- 600ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 brown onion
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes (around 200g)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- Salt and pepper to taste (I prefer lots of black pepper and only a little salt as the stock cube will have salt in too)
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1 large handful of spinach, finely chopped
Method:
- Heat the oil gently and soften the onions
- Add the paprika and turmeric and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring
- Add the garlic and tomatoes, cook for 3-4 minutes then blitz/blend and return to pan
- Add the stock, lentils, salt, pepper and oregano, cook until the lentils are soft – around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (lentils can have a habit of sticking to the bottom of the pan).
- Add the finely chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes
- Serve with popped pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top
Popping pumpkin seeds:
- Heat a non-stick pan on a high heat, dry (no oil or butter)
- When hot, add the pumpkin seeds, stir or flip regularly so they don’t burn, until they stop popping
- Put the popped seeds in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. (You can add other spices such as paprika or chilli for extra flavour and heat.)
To read my blog about cooking this in deep winter, click here