Taco Lentil Soup - the delicious spicy flavour of tacos using lentils instead of meat for a filling hearty meal that even the kids will enjoy.

As soon as it gets to Monday and the kids are back at school after the weekend. I always like to get a big pot of soup on the group, especially in the cold winter months.

One of the families favourites is this Turkey Taco Soup - it's just got lots of flavours, is super healthy, and a delicious filling meal. So I figured why not make a vegetarian version of this yummy soup with some lentils I had in the pantry.

Meat Free meals are often on rotation in my household and they really don't need to be boring or bland. Lentils are often my go-to choice because they are cheap and really versatile in a variety of recipes.

You can really bulk this often with all kinds of vegetables too, it's a great way to use up what you have left in the fridge before a grocery shop.

I add butternut squash (for natural sweetness), zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and the usual onion and garlic etc. But sweet potato is also great, along with a carrot or whatever else you may have in your fridge.

For the taco flavour, I make my own seasoning mix because it is so easy and simple to make and uses just standard seasonings which most of us have in our pantry/cupboard.

This is easily cooked on the stovetop or if you have an Instant Pot (pressure cooker), this can be made super quick and on the table in no time for everyone to dig in and enjoy.

What's an Instant Pot?,  I hear you say. 

Instant Pot is a brand of multi-function pressure cooker. It's one of my favourite cooking appliances. I love this thing so much, that I almost use it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

It is basically a 7in1 cooker, and it slow cooks, pressure cooks, saute's, has settings for soup, chilli, rice, porridge and even makes yoghurt (I haven't tried that yet).

Serve this Taco Lentil Soup just as it is or why not add some toppings? Some of my favourite items to choose are:

• Avocado - check out Avocado on Slimming 
• Soured Cream or use plain fat-free yoghurt for a option 
• Chopped Cilantro (coriander)
• Chopped Fresh Tomato
• Grated Cheddar
• Chopped Spring Onions
• hey sometimes if I want to make this even more filling, I will add in about ¼ cup of cooked rice. 
• Like your food really spicy? Add some sliced jalapeno's

Love Lentils? Here are some more Lentil Recipes:

• INSTANT POT TARKA DHAL (TADKA DAL)
• VEGAN LENTIL DUMPLINGS
• VEGAN CREAMY COCONUT MUSHROOM LENTILS (STOVE TOP AND INSTANT POT)
• SPICY SWEET POTATO AND LENTILS
• LENTIL CHEDDAR SWEETCORN BAKE
• EASY RED LENTIL DHAL
• SPICY CARROT AND LENTIL SOUP
• LENTIL BOLOGNESE
• AUBERGINE, COURGETTE, SWEET POTATO AND LENTIL CURRY
• ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND LENTIL CURRY
• SWEET POTATO, VEGETABLE AND LENTIL CHILLI

or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 850 delicious Slimming and Weight Watchers recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients and smart points etc.

How can I add a ⅓ vegetables to this Taco Lentil Soup?

This yummy soup is packed with healthy vegetables and so you can dig into a bowl of this knowing you are getting plenty of vegetables. But as always feel free to add any more of your choice to increase the vegetables even further. 

Confused about how vegetables work on the Slimming programme? Check out this post - The Benefit of vegetables. 

Kitchen Items used for this Taco Lentil Soup:

• Kitchen Scales
• Measuring Spoons
• Wooden Spoon
• Instant Pot or Large Sauce Pan
• Chopping Board
• Measuring Jug or cups
• Santoku Knife

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Recipe Card

Taco Lentil Soup (Instant Pot or Stove Top)

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Taco Lentil Soup - the delicious spicy flavour of tacos using lentils instead of meat for a filling hearty meal that even the kids will enjoy.

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Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 250g (9oz) of butternut squash, cubed
• 225g (8oz) of dry green lentils, rinsed
• 794g (28oz) of diced tomatoes, canned
• 4 tbs of tomato paste
• 1 cup (175g) of sweetcorn
• 1 zucchin (courgette), diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 large jalapeno, deseeded and diced
• 3.5 cups (840ml) of vegetable stock
• salt and black pepper to season
• cooking oil spray

for the taco seasoning:

• 1 tbs of sukrin: gold (or another sweetener of choice)
• 2 teaspoon of chilli powder
• 2 teaspoon of paprika
• 2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (add more or less depending on your spice level)
• ½ teaspoon of onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder

Instructions

Instant Pot:

1. Set instant pot to sauté mode, spray with cooking oil spray
2. Once instant pot displays hot, add the onion and frying for a couple of minutes to soften.
3. Add in the garlic and butternut squash and fry for a further couple of minutes.
4. Add a little bit of stock, to deglaze the pan and ensure nothing is stuck.
5. Add in the lentils, taco seasoning, tomatoes, tomato paste, zucchini, sweetcorn, pepper, jalapeño and stock and stir to combine. (newer models of instant pots, I recommend adding the tomato products to the top and not mixing in)
6. Add lid, close valve (if not self sealing), set instant pot to 10 minutes (manual) high pressure.
7. Once instant pot finishes cooking, open the valve to allow a quick release of the pressure.
8. Serve as is, or top with your choice of toppings
9. Enjoy!!

Stove Top:

1. Spray a large sauce pan over a medium high heat with spray oil, once hot add the onion and fry until softened.
2. Add in the garlic and butternut squash and fry for a further couple of minutes.
3. Add a little bit of stock, to deglaze the pan and ensure nothing is stuck.
4. Add in the lentils, taco seasoning, tomatoes, tomato paste, zucchini, sweetcorn, pepper, jalapeño and stock and stir to combine.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, add lid and simmer for 30 minutes, until lentils are cooked. You may need to add in a little more stock (or water) for stove top method.
6. Serve as is, or top with your choice of toppings
7. Enjoy!!

Notes

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly.

• Extra Easy/SP - Syn Free per serving
• WW Smart Points - 0 per serving

*Suitable for freezing

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Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. 

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• 
  Instant Pot Duo V2 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 Qt, 5.5L 1000 W, Brushed Stainless Steel/Black, 220-240v, Stainless Steel Inner Pot

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 233Total Fat 1.1gSaturated Fat 0.1gSodium 778mgCarbohydrates 46.1gFiber 8.8gSugar 12.4gProtein 12.9g

Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information.

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