Maybe an unpopular opinion but I’ve always been an Autumn lover – I just adore the cosiness of this season…and I love the food even more! 

Don’t be fooled by the fact that this is a soup recipe. This dish is high in protein and fibre making it oh so filling. Add a bunch of warming spices to this soup and give it a little time on the hob for all the flavours to really combine. Cold season food really needs more love, and the more you give to it the more it will give to you in flavour and comfort. 

Ingredients (four servings):

• 150g red lentils
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 white onion, diced 
• S&P
• 600g sweet potato, boiled until soft
• 1 x tin coconut milk 
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric 
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Parsley 
• 800ml Veg stock 

Optional topping: Chilli oil. This recipe from Tiffy Cooks is phenomenal and so easy to make!

Method: 

Firstly soak the red lentils in fresh salted water for at least three hours and give them a good rinse before adding them to the recipe. 

Add a glug of olive oil to the pan and sauté chopped onion until it softens. Add cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric and garlic until you smell the aroma of each ingredient. Add coconut milk. Whizz the boiled and drained sweet potato with vegetable stock and add to the mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the red lentils and simmer for 15 minutes. Season generously with salt & pepper and garnish with parsley.

When serving, add a tablespoon of chilli oil to top the dish – although this step is optional it really brings all the earthy flavours of this dish together. Although the dish contains chillis, this particular chilli oil is relatively mild, so don’t let it put you off if you’re not a fan of hot spicy dishes.