Winter Warmer · Hearty Family Dinner
A piping hot, creamy cauliflower and lentil soup, hearty enough to be dinner, with crispy pancetta on top and the whole thing pulled together in the one bowl.
The ultimate antidote to feeling frosty, and the savoury backbone comes from a spoonful of my No-Chicken Chicken Salt.
This soup is no starter. Alongside a variety of super nutritious vegetables, it has potatoes and lentils to make it a genuinely hearty main meal. It is full of flavour from the winning combination of sauteed leek and garlic, then topped off with crispy salty pancetta that cuts through the creaminess for an amazing taste explosion.
It is so easy to make, and the kids will love it, making it the perfect quick fix for cold winter nights when you cannot wait to be snuggled up on the couch. Serve with some warm crusty bread or grissini and you have a seriously superb meal.
The part that gives the bowl its rounded, moreish savouriness is the stock element. You can reach for a chicken-style stock cube, but I love a teaspoon or two of my No-Chicken Chicken Salt instead: it is organic, plant-based, and free from the nasties, with all the comforting savouriness of classic chicken salt. It also makes the vegetarian version effortless (just swap the pancetta step for a splash of olive oil).
The pantry hero
Organic, vegan and free from nasties, with all the savoury comfort of classic chicken salt. The easy swap for a stock cube, and the shortcut to a richer bowl.
Shop now → Shop the Flavour Bombs“A wonderful alternative to the loved 'not very good for you' chicken salt! My kids actually eat their vegetables now with this taste changer!”
Merry, verified buyer
Let's Cook
Cauliflower & Lentil Soup (for Thermomix)
Serves 4 · Thermomix or thermo cooker
Ingredients
For a vegetarian meal, skip the pancetta and fry the lentils in a splash of olive oil instead.
The Pantry Hero
The organic, plant-based swap for a stock cube, and the moreish backbone of this soup.
Shop now →Method
Place leek and garlic in the TC bowl and chop 5 sec / speed 5. Scrape down the sides.
Add the oil and saute 5 min / 100°C / speed 1.
Add the cauliflower, potato, water, cream, No-Chicken Chicken Salt or cube and stock concentrate, then cook 20 min / 100°C / speed 1.
Meanwhile, heat a fry pan over high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until wrinkled and crispy.
Turn the heat to low and add the lentils. Cook for a further 1 minute, moving constantly, warming the lentils and coating them in the rendered pancetta fat.
Puree the soup for 30 sec, slowly increasing from speed 1 to 9.
To serve
Divide the soup between 4 serving bowls and top each with a spoonful of lentils and pancetta. Lovely with warm crusty bread or grissini.
Watch & cook along
Press play for more of my fresh, fast thermo cooking, then come back and get this soup on the stove.
One spoonful of savoury, no stock cube required
Keep No-Chicken Chicken Salt in the pantry and this creamy soup is always within easy reach. It is the simplest way to build deep, comforting flavour into everyday cooking.
Shop the No-Chicken Chicken Salt Get the Quick Dinners cookbook
