Multi-veg and cheddar soup

Calories per serving: 226

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

The key to a really delicious soup? Cheese. But of course cheese is very calorific, so here I use just enough to enrich the flavour and enhance the texture. The soup is blended to a very smooth consistency, which is reminiscent of a French potage aux légumes. Partner it up with a slice of good-quality sourdough bread (50g slice = 140 calories).

INGREDIENTS

– 1 onion, peeled and quartered

– 1 leek, remove the top and tail

– 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

– 1 tbsp olive oil

– 300g mixed broccoli and cauliflower florets

– 40g red lentils

– 1 medium-sized potato, washed but skin left on

– 1 litre vegetable stock from 2 cubes

– 130g baby spinach leaves

– 75g cheddar, grated

METHOD

Place the onion, leek and carrot in a food processor and chop up relatively small.

Put the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat and add the chopped vegetables. Mix well to begin to soften them.

Now chop up the broccoli and cauliflower in the food processor until they look a bit like rice, then add to the pan along with the red lentils and mix well. Chop up the potato in the food processor and add to the pan with the stock.

Turn up the heat to bring the soup to a boil then reduce it and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Blend the soup until smooth in a food processor (you may have to do this in two batches) or use a stick blender. Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly.

Return to the pan to reheat and add the grated cheese to serve.