Recipe for Not Quite Lava soup

When my kids were much younger they were introduced to a Shrek inspired cookbook and in it was lava soup.  We tried it out at a friends house and it went down so well it became a staple of ours.  I loved the fact they would eat soup and the array of vegetables that went in it!

Over the years I've added bits to the soup and changed it slightly by adding lentils so it's not quite the same but a bit more filling.  Still has that red look of lava to it though!

Ingredients

1 onion
2 carrots
1 or 2 peppers (I like to use red, yellow or orange)
A good handful of red lentils
A tin of tomatoes (chopped or plum, doesn't matter!)
about 500ml of water
salt and pepper
1 tsp of dried basil

Roughly chop all veg that needs it and throw in a pan with the tomatoes, lentils, water and seasoning.  Give a good mix and bring to the boil.  Once boiled, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 mins until the lentils are all cooked and mushy.

You can eat it as it is, but we always blend it up with a hand blender.  Check for if it needs any more seasoning and ENJOY!

The soup can also be made with stock - homemade is best!