There are some great soup recipes out there, but the lentil, pasta and vegetable soup recipe is one that you are sure to never forget. It is definitely one of the healthiest soup recipes out there and one of the best things of all is that you can use almost any vegetables you want.

It calls for vegetable stock but you can even make your own if you have the time. You can prepare this dish ahead of time so that all you have to do is reheat it once you are ready to eat it. Leftovers can even be frozen and kept for later use.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 350 g carrot, sliced
• 1 stick celery, sliced
• 225 g red lentils
• 600 ml fresh vegetable stock
• 700 ml boiling water
• 150 g pasta
• 150 ml natural low fat fromage frais
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the prepared onion, garlic, carrot and celery, stirring gently, for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
2. Add the lentils, stock and boiling water. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir and bring back to the boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the lentils are completely tender. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring another saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well and set aside.
4. Place the soup in a blender and process until smooth. Return to a saucepan and add the pasta. Bring back to a simmer and heat for 2 to 3 minutes until piping hot. Remove from the heat and stir in the fromage frais. Season if necessary.
5. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

“Avoid boiling the soup once the fromage frais has been added. Otherwise it will separate and become watery, spoiling the appearance of the soup”.

For more great recipes and instant updates on healthy cooking, subscribe to Healthy Cooking Recipes today. You can also have these great recipes sent directly to your email everytime there's a new recipe!