What she’d tell you
Everything in this comes out of the cupboard except the carrot, and even that keeps for weeks. It is the meal I make when there is genuinely nothing in the house, and nobody has ever guessed that.
What you need
Written for 6. Change that in the app and the amounts follow.
Tick things off as you get them ready.
Continue to the method ↓
How it goes
Soften the diced onion, carrot and celery in the oil for 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and cook 1 minute.
Add the rinsed lentils, tomatoes, stock and salt, and bring to a simmer.
Simmer half-covered for 25 minutes, until the lentils have collapsed entirely.
Squeeze the lemon in off the heat and taste for salt.
If you haven’t got it
Red Lentils
green or brown lentils: they hold their shape and need 15 minutes longer
Vegetable Stock
water and an extra teaspoon of salt; it is a humbler soup and still good
Keeping it
Five days in the fridge, thickening as it goes.
Medium heat with a splash of water. Freezes for four months.
