This soup, in one portion, packs a whopping 50% of your daily fibre and 30% of your daily protein and all for less than 50 cents ( 30p ) a serving.. I told you plant protein was cost effective! And the lentils I used were organic!
In the following months I’d like to focus more on how cooking from scratch, WW2 recipes can not only be delicious but can also substantially save you lots of money. This past year or so has been a very challenging economic battle for my family and I and nothing will give me greater satisfaction than updating my blog to share with you how cooking from scratch, mending and making do, have enabled us to scramble through the austere times we have faced..
Enjoy this recipe, just delicious served hot with fresh bread.
Lentil soup
- 8 oz (225g) of split lentils (I used the bigger green ones- organic)
- 2 medium onions chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 1-2 bacon rashers, chopped (optional)
- 1.5 pints (900ml) water
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (maybe more if you love your herbs)
- salt and pepper to desired taste
Method
- Wash the lentils and strain, discarding the water, set aside
- Put the chopped bacon (or a little fat if not using bacon) into a pan and add the onions and carrots and fry for a few minutes
- Add the 1.5 pints of clean water, the washed lentils and herbs
- Cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour
- Add the salt and pepper and extra herbs if needs be
- Stir and cook uncovered for a few more minutes
Makes 4 large bowls
COST: $2.00 ( £1.25) without bacon
“This post is part of Twinkl’s VE Day Campaign, and is featured in their Best Wartime Recipes to Celebrate VE Day from Home post”
Do you add the lentils with the water?
Thanks April- I made a boo boo didn’t I!! LOL! I’ve added the lentils in 🙂
I’m loving this blog! Would it be ok with you if I gave a shout out to your blog on mine and directed people here? (I don’t have many followers yet I’m new but still)
Well done. If you are not using bacon, may I suggest adding mint it will help with the windy effects of the pulses.
I made this for our Relief Society meeting at church this evening.(we were doing a service project too) It was a HUGE success. Thankyou Carolyn x
A tip from the German enemy: add some vinegar (preferrably red wine vinegar or balsamico but other vinegar will work fine) . Wohl bekomm*s!
LOL!! Will try!
If you are feeling slightly less frugal for a change substitute some of the water with a 400g can of chopped tomatoes (around 33p, $0.44 at time of writing) and add a dash of Worcester sauce.
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Just a few little tips on lentil soup.
Vegetarians please note that a perfectly good lentil soup does not require bacon (or bacon bones for a stock) as it is perfectly fine with just salt & pepper.
If you do find that lentils cause a windy problem then the best solution is a pinch of asafoetida (Indian ingredient for lentil curries & flatulence problems) added to the soup should help.
Try adding a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves to the soup just before serving, delicious ! If you are not fond of coriander then try Italian flat leaf parsley.
If you are making your soup in the morning then soak the lentils overnight, or, if you are working during the day & are making it for your evening meal then soak the lentils whilst you are out. Rinse the soaked lentils, tip into a pan and add boiling water from a kettle, you will find that the lentils will cook very quickly, this speeds up the cooking time dramatically.
You can also use pumpkin or turnip (swede) either in place of carrots or use a mixture of the vegetables, they are all on the sweet side and compliment each other well.