Red lentil and butternut squash soup recipe

For a hearty, nourishing soup try this red lentil and butternut squash recipe. Winter squash favourite, butternut, combined with earthy red lentils and sweet carrots make for a fabulous, rich orange colour and delicious, comforting flavour. This soup is dairy-free and low in fat, which is handy as you'll almost certainly be back for a second bowl! If the soup is too thick then stir through a splash of water to dilute the mixture. To make this recipe suitable for vegetarians leave out the prosciutto garnish, which will also mean you just have low-cost ingredients for a purse-friendly dish; what's not to love?

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrots, chopped
• 80g red lentils, rinsed
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 80g prosciutto, ripped into pieces

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan over a low to medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it softens and begins to become translucent.
2. Add the carrots, lentils, butternut squash and stock, plus enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring to the boil then turn down and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
3. Check that the vegetables are tender and lentils are cooked through before removing from the heat. Blend using a food processor or hand blender then season to taste with salt and black pepper.
4. Serve topped with prosciutto pieces.