Carrot, squash & lentil soup

This is a gorgeous warming soup with lots of fresh ginger and roasted garlic to support your immune system, detoxification, and blood sugar regulation.

Red lentils are full of fibre to keep your gut microbes happy, plus they’re a great source of vitamins B9 or folate (tissue and cell growth and function), copper (red blood cells, nervous system support), manganese (immune system regulation and bone formation), and iron (red blood cells, oxygen transport, energy) amongst others. You’re getting some more fibre from the squash and carrots (happy gut bugs!) plus antioxidants (cell damage/cancer-prevention), vitamin C, beta-carotene (converts to Vit A for eye health), and B6 (supports mood), so there’s all the good stuff in this recipe! Perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients

Serves 6

·      4 large garlic cloves (unpeeled)

·      1 large onion, chopped in thick half-moons

·      1 medium butternut squash (approx. 600-700g), 2cm dice

·      3 large carrots (300g), 2cm dice

·      1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated (I use a microplane)

·      1.5L chicken or veggie stock, warmed

·      100g red lentils, rinsed well

·      1 tsp sea salt

·      Lots of black pepper

Method

·      Heat the oven to 180 c, add the veggies to a large roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and mix with a pinch of salt.

·      Put in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn and put back in for approx. another 20 minutes until completely softened.

·      Take the veggies out and remove the garlic, chop the root ends off and squeeze out the cooked cloves into a large stock pot, then scrape in the onions, squash and carrots.

·      Deglaze the roasting tray with a ladle or two of stock and add to the pan along with the ginger and the rest of the stock.

·      Bring to the boil and then blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

·      Add the lentils and simmer with the lid on for another 25 minutes.

·      Finish by adding the salt and lots of pepper for extra heat.