Tomato and lentil cup soup for a small appetite

Name: Tomato and lentil cup soup for a small appetite
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 portions

A light, smooth tomato soup made with pre-cooked lentils, ready in about 15 minutes and served in a cup or flask. Useful when a full plate feels like too much.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 15 min
Portions: 2

Easy
Trying to conceive
Preparing for fertility treatment
Quick and easy
Budget-friendly
Vegetarian
Vegan
Fibre-rich
Iron-containing

Make this recipe

Portions

Ingredient quantities update automatically. Cooking times may need a little adjustment when you change the batch size.

Swap an ingredient

Only swaps that keep this recipe pregnancy-safe are offered. Allergen information below updates when you choose one.

Ingredient unavailable: use pre-cooked brown beans instead of pre-cooked lentils
Ingredient unavailable: use any cooking oil instead of groundnut oil

Ingredients

For 2 portions. Tick items as you go — nothing is changed for anyone else.

250 g pre-cooked lentils, cooked earlier and kept chilled, or tinned and rinsed
4 medium tomatoes, washed and chopped
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium carrot, washed, peeled and grated
1 tbsp groundnut oil
400 ml water or unsalted stock
salt and black pepper, a little, to taste

This recipe contains foods that can contribute to a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy.

Method

Step 1. Heat the oil and cook the onion and grated carrot for 3 minutes.
Step 2. Add the washed chopped tomato and cook for 4 minutes until softened.
Step 3. Add the pre-cooked lentils and the water or stock and simmer for 5 minutes until piping hot throughout.
Step 4. Blend or mash to a smooth soup and season lightly.
Step 5. Pour into cups, or into a clean flask to take with you. Serve a small cup first and keep the rest chilled if your appetite is low.

Allergens for your selection

No declarable allergens in the ingredients as currently selected.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Food safety

Wash fruit, vegetables and leafy greens in clean water before cooking or eating raw.
Cook eggs, chicken, meat and fish thoroughly, and keep raw and cooked foods on separate boards and plates.
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate where you have reliable power, and reheat once until piping hot throughout. If refrigeration is unreliable, prepare only what you will eat.
Anyone planning a pregnancy is generally advised to take a daily folic acid supplement before conception — ask your doctor, pharmacist or fertility clinic what is right for you.
Iron from plant foods such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats and green leaves is absorbed less easily than iron from meat or fish. Eating them with vitamin C-containing foods — tomatoes, peppers, orange, pawpaw or a squeeze of lime — is a practical way to help absorption.
If your appetite is reduced, serve half and keep the rest chilled rather than facing a large plate. Reduced appetite is not something to simply put up with — if it is persistent or significant, or you are losing weight, speak to your doctor, clinic or a dietitian.
Simple to prepare and easy to carry on a scan, blood-test, monitoring or clinic day when time is short and queues are long. No food can be said to affect egg collection, embryo quality, transfer or IVF pregnancy rates.

Allergens

No common declarable allergens are listed in this recipe's ingredients.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Supplements and drinks

The Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization advise a daily folic acid supplement (usually 400 micrograms) before conception and through early pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects. Folate-rich foods such as ugu, soko and beans do not replace the supplement. Buy supplements that carry a valid NAFDAC registration number from a registered pharmacy, and ask your doctor whether you need a higher dose.
Iron and folic acid supplementation is routinely recommended in pregnancy in Nigeria, and anaemia is common. Ask your doctor or antenatal clinic which supplements you need rather than buying combinations yourself, and check that any product is NAFDAC-registered.
There is no known safe level of alcohol in pregnancy, and locally brewed drinks vary widely in strength, so the safest course when trying to conceive is none. Keep caffeine moderate — around 200 mg a day, roughly two mugs of instant coffee. Recipes here contain no alcohol.

Sources

Food-based dietary guidelines for Nigeria — Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria and FAO, reviewed 4 September 2026
Healthy diet — World Health Organization, reviewed 4 September 2026
Five keys to safer food — World Health Organization, reviewed 4 September 2026

Important information

Antega's Trying to Conceive Recipes are for general information and meal inspiration for anyone hoping to conceive, including partners. They are not a personalised diet plan, they are not fertility treatment, and no food or recipe can be said to improve fertility or guarantee conception. They do not replace advice from your doctor, gynaecologist, fertility clinic or a registered dietitian. Speak to a healthcare professional before making significant dietary changes, particularly if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell disease, PCOS, food allergies or any other condition.

If you have PCOS, endometriosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell disease, a thyroid condition or any other condition, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian how these meal ideas fit your own care plan.