1teaspoonItalian herb seasoning, (or dried thyme or oregano)
½teaspoonmaple syrup
½teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Gently sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil on a low heat for around 5-10 minutes until soft and transparent. (TM Instructions: whizz olive oil, quartered onion & sliced garlic for 3 secs. / sp. 5, then scrape down and set to 6 mins / 120°C / sp. stir.)
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves
Then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and bring to the boil. Then turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and simmer gently for 40 minutes until the lentils are soft.(TM Instructions: add rest of the ingredients and set to 40 mins / 100°C / sp. 2)
800 ml vegetable stock, 1 x 400g tin tomatoes, 400 g passata, 350 g butternut squash or pumpkin, 80 g dried red lentils, 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning, ½ teaspoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon salt
Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary. Serve as it is or whizz it up in a blender (or with a stick blender) to make a smooth soup.(TM Instructions: 30 secs / sp. 10)
Garnish with croutons, chopped herbs and perhaps a little cayenne pepper sprinkled on top.
Notes
Toppings for garnish:
A swirl of vegan cream / coconut cream / cashew cream
Fry the onions for 5 minutes on a higher heat if you’re in a rush – it will just mean that you get a caramelised sweet onion flavour rather than a gentler soft onion flavour without caramelisation.