Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup

Soups are much loved by us, and I tend to make them often, be it chunky or cream soups. There is something so comforting about enjoying a big bowl of soup on a cold day. And if you add a bread roll with butter in the mix, that's definitely a big winner with everyone.

Chorizo can only make everything better. Much, much better. Its smokiness adds so much flavour, and the brilliant colour adds vibrancy to any dish. Think of the most boring dish you have ever tasted, add chorizo to it, and then taste it again. I bet you'll change your mind about it!

Lentils are so underrated. I tend to forget how amazing them are, and what delicious recipes I can create with some cheap, but highly nutritious lentils of any colour.

Take this red lentil soup: it requires no pre-soaking, any veggie can be added to it, and it's on the table in 20 minutes or less. You can't possibly beat that! If you go for a ready-made pot of lentil soup, that is so expensive, and nowhere near as tasty. Let's see how to make it!

Ingredients needed

• diced chorizo - either regular chorizo or spicy
• onion - any kind
• red split lentils - they cook quicker than green lentils, so they can't be swapped in this recipe
• carrots & celery sticks - my go-to for any soup or stew
• vegetable oil - or olive oil
• chicken stock/broth - for extra flavour
• salt & black pepper - to taste
• parsley - to garnish

Easy swaps

To me, this soup is perfection! It really is. But you can, of course, tweak the recipe to your own liking. Or to whatever ingredients you have around.

Chorizo can be swapped for bacon, that's actually a very good replacement. You can either use bacon rashes, streaky bacon or bacon lardons. Or even diced pancetta. The choice is yours here.

I used the usual suspects for every soup: onions, carrots and celery. But you can add anything else you like: sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, peppers, pumpkin, and the list can go on.

I have tried using pumpkin instead of carrots in my Pumpkin and Red Lentil Soup with Bacon and the combo is amazing!

Since I used chorizo, I didn't add any other strong seasoning, but if you wish, you can throw in a bit of Indian curry powder too, which will add a spiced kick.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

You may skip this step if you wish, but I find that fried chorizo is even better, especially for topping the soup once it's ready. Plus, it's looks a lot better too.

• heat up the oil in a pan, add the diced chorizo and fry for 2-3 minutes until crispy
• remove from the pan and set aside
• in the same pan, add the chopped onion and fry until translucent, then add the chopped celery, carrots and red lentils

• give it a good stir, add the stock/broth, place the lid on, and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes until the veggies are tender and the lentils are cooked
• if you want a thinner soup, add more stock or water
• season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a food processor if you want to blitz it to a smooth consistency, otherwise it can be enjoyed chunky too
• add most of the chorizo, reserving some to top the bowl of soups too
• garnish with parsley

And that's it! It's quick, it's easy, it's healthy, you name it!

Other lentil recipes

Green Lentil Stew with Chorizo

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Red Lentil Dahl with Coconut Milk

Chicken Dhanzak