Global
Big-Batch Lentil & Vegetable Soup
A six-portion pot of thick lentil and veg soup: freezer gold that costs pennies and eats like a meal.
Estimated. Worked out from the ingredients using the UK food composition tables, so treat it as a guide rather than a measurement. A typical recipe lands within about a quarter of the true figure. Makes about 8.
Ingredients
- 2 cups red or brown lentils
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 celery sticks, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 800g chopped tomatoes
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups spinach
- Salt & pepper
Cooking Steps
Soften the onion, garlic, carrot and celery in oil.
Add the cumin, lentils, tomatoes and stock; simmer 30 minutes.
Stir in the spinach; season well.
Divide into 6 shallow containers to cool quickly.
Refrigerate within 2 hours; freeze whatever you won't eat by day 4.
Optional Enhancements
- Blend half for a thicker texture
- Add a parmesan rind while simmering
- Chilli flakes for heat
Plant & Growing Tips
Tomatoes
- Plant seedlings in full sun after the last frost, providing plenty of space and support for vining varieties.
- Ensure consistent watering, especially during fruit development, to prevent cracking.
Spinach
- Sow seeds directly in cool weather, either early spring or late summer, in partial shade in warmer climates.
- Keep soil consistently moist to encourage rapid growth and prevent bolting.
Carrots
- Sow seeds directly into deep, loose, stone-free soil in full sun or partial shade.
- Thin seedlings to 2-4 inches apart to allow roots to develop properly.
Onions
- Plant sets or seeds in early spring in well-drained, fertile soil with full sun.
- Ensure good air circulation to prevent fungal diseases.
Garlic
- Plant individual cloves point-up in well-drained soil in autumn for harvest the following summer.
- Garlic requires a cold period to develop large bulbs, so time planting accordingly.
Natural Pest Control
- Use companion planting with marigolds near tomatoes to deter nematodes.
- Cover spinach with fine netting or row covers to protect from leaf miners.
- Rotate carrot crops annually to prevent carrot rust fly infestations.
- Blast aphids off onion and garlic plants with a strong stream of water.
Harvest
Tomatoes
- Pick when fruits are fully colored, firm, and easily detach from the vine.
Spinach
- Harvest outer leaves as needed (cut-and-come-again) or the whole plant before it bolts in warm weather.
Carrots
- Pull when roots are about 1 inch in diameter at the soil line, or when they reach desired size and color.
Onions
- Harvest when the tops begin to yellow and fall over; cure in a warm, dry place for storage.
Garlic
- Dig up when the lower third to half of the leaves have turned yellow; cure in a shaded, well-ventilated area.
Storing & Freezing
Fridge 4 days; freezes 3 months. Soups are the most forgiving meal-prep food there is. Reheat piping hot.
