Serves 4

Lentils help you feel satiated for longer, due to their high protein and fibre content, and they have been shown to help lower blood glucose and insulin spikes after meals.

This soup makes a light meal, so you can have other things with it to make it more satiating, such as a slice of the multi-seeded, wholemeal bread.

If you tend to experience discomfort when eating legumes, you can minimise this by avoiding pre-cooked or canned sources, and by soaking them for a few hours in cold water before cooking.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil more
• 1 onion finely chopped more
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed more
• 400g red lentils, washed and drained more
• 1.4 litre filtered water or a good quality, low salt stock
• 1 ½ tsp sea salt more
• ~1/2 – 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper more
• 100g baby spinach leaves more
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste more

To serve:

• Extra virgin olive oil more
• Freshly ground black pepper more

Method:

1. Warm the olive oil in a medium-large pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until golden.  Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add the lentils and water and bring it to the boil over high heat.
3. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the lentils are cooked and soft; stir the pan every 10 minutes whilst the lentils are cooking to prevent them from sticking.
4. Remove the lid, add the salt and a little more water if needed to reach your desired constancy.
5. Cover again and cook for 5-10 minutes longer or until the lentils have completely dissolved and the soup is creamy.
6. Stir in the pepper and spinach and cook for a minute or so, until the spinach is wilted.
7. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.
8. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper, and perhaps a slice of multi-seeded wholemeal bread.