Roasted tomato and bell pepper soup with lentils
During the summer ripe tomatoes are in abundance at the farmers’ market so I make a lot of soups, stocks and sauces from them. This roasted tomato and bell pepper soup with lentils is one of my favourite recipes – it’s supper healthy, hearty and so easy to make. I normally bake the veggies ahead and make the soup the following day.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Cut the tomatoes in half, and the red peppers into 4 large pieces. Arrange them in a large baking tray.
- Cut both onions into 4 wedges and tuck them between the tomatoes together with the garlic cloves (don’t peel them).
- Add the herbs, balsamic vinegar, oil and chilli flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well.
- Put the tray in the oven and bake for approx. 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and a little charred.
- Take the tray out of the oven and let it cool.
- Remove the skins of the onion, garlic and peppers (tomatoes too, if you want a really silky soup).
- Put all the roasted veggies and the cooking jus into a saucepan. ( If you want to make the soup later, put them in a jar and store in the fridge up to 3 days).
- Add the stock and spinach to the pan. Turn the heat on and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and, using a stick blender, blitz the mixture into a smooth soup. Add more stock if it’s too thick.
- Drain the lentils and add to the soup. Bring to a simmer to warm through.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and plenty of freshly ground pepper.