Spiced Mexican Bean Soup

A quick & easy nourishing and filling soup which ticks all the flavours for me!

Sweet peppers, creamy beans and lentils and lots of warming spices and a slight kick from the chilli.

A wonderfully colourful soup that can be enjoyed in summer or winter.

Soups are made for toppings and I love to serve this freezer friendly soup with a dollop of creme fraiche, salty feta, fresh chillies and a cheese toastie for dipping! Lets face it anything tastes better with bread dipped into it!

You can use any beans you have at home, cannelini, chickpeas and butterbeans would work well.

So good with a mature cheese toastie on the side. Simply drizzle slices of fresh bread with oil, add cheese to the one half, press together. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, when hot add the slices to the pan and press down, when golden, flip and fry until both sides are golden and the cheese oozing.

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, peeled and diced
• 1 large red pepper, white membrane removed, diced
• 1 large yellow pepper, white membrane removed, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Spanish smoked sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons salt
• pinch chilli flakes (more if in love with chilli)
• 4 tablespoons red lentils
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin black beans
• 1 x 400g tin red kidney beans
• 1,2 litres hot vegetable stock
• handful coriander, leaves only, chopped
• salt & pepper

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onions, peppers and pinch of chilli. Cook, covered until soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 3 minutes, followed by the tomato paste, salt and the spices, adding a little oil if the mixture seems very dry, fry for 3 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, lentils, stock and beans and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, covered until the lentils are soft, about 12 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the coriander.
5. To serve, ladle the soup in bowls and serve with fresh chillies, creme fraiche and cheese toasties. Enjoy