Recipe: roasted carrot and lentil soup: frugal

This is frugal because the onion and carrots were close to needing to be chucked, the celery was gotting on too, the cooking bacon is really cheap (it was value), and the remaining ingredients were storecupboard things

Ingredients:
some oil or dripping
3 smallish carrots (slightly wizened ones are fine but cut off any manky bits!) cut into chunks
half a smallish onion, chunked
a bit of celery chunked
a garlic clove, peeled
a small amount of cooking bacon, chopped
a pinch cumin and a pinch ground coriander
one tbsp lentils
half tbsp marigold stock
water
seasonings

Method:
Heat up the oven.  Melt the dripping if using.  Toss the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in the dripping and roast for about half an hour.  After twenty minutes of roasting, add the bacon and the spices, mix well and finish roasting.  The carrots won't be soft by then but they should be fragrant.

If you're doing it the normal way . . .
In a saucepan, place the lentils and the stock powder, pour in the roasted veg, scraping the dish to get all the gorgeous flavour out.  Add enough water to cover, place the lid on, bring to a simmer and cook until everything is soft.

Zizz with a blender of some kind and check for salt.  It may not need much what with the marigold and the bacon.  You will very likely need to add more water or you could make it creamy by adding milk instead - just be careful not to reboil.

If you're using a Thermomix . . .
Place everything in the Tmx, cover with water and cook on 100, speed 2 for about 15 mins or until everything is cooked.
Zizz for a minute if you want a very smooth texture, less if you want it slightly 'chunky'.
Check seasonings and thickness as above and adjust to own taste as above.  Reheat to 90 if you have added milk

Or - cool and chill until needed.