It’s most certainly soup season!
My husband says he doesn’t like soup, but he honestly just doesn’t like thin broth soups, like traditional chicken noodle soup. So I’m always in search of soup recipes that are thicker based — not necessarily from cream. Pureed vegetable soups have become a favorite in my house!
This recipe from Saveur for Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup mentions that it originates from Palestine, but I haven’t been able to find a similar butternut squash and red lentil soup to confirm that. No matter where this recipe originally comes from, the result is a perfect colder weather soup- creamy, filling, with a little bit of heat!
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
- 1 pound peeled, seeded, and chopped butternut squash
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make vegetarian/vegan)
- 1 cup red lentils
- Paprika, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Prepare your garlic, carrots, celery, and onion.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil. When heated, add in your garlic, carrots, celery, and onion. (Note: I am not a fan of celery, so I cut it larger and remove before pureeing so there is a hint of the flavor.) Stir occasionally until the carrots are slightly softened and the onion and garlic have caramelized a bit, about 12-15 minutes.
Add in the cumin, chili flakes, and butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Add in your chicken stock and red lentils and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, slightly covered, for about 20 minutes.
Remove the top and let the soup cool slightly. Puree the soup, either using an immersion blender in the pot, or by adding some of the soup in batches to your blender and pureeing. Be very careful when doing this; remove the center of the blender’s top to allow for ventilation and cover with a kitchen towel before blending.
When fully pureed, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with paprika and a squeeze of lemon juice.
I love the consistency of this soup, it’s nice and thick!
There is a bit of heat from the crushed red pepper, so if you’re sensitive to heat, perhaps add a bit less (although it’s really tasty!) Serve with some toasted pita bread, if desired.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
- 1 pound peeled, seeded, and chopped butternut squash
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make vegetarian/vegan)
- 1 cup red lentils
- Paprika, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare your garlic, carrots, celery, and onion.
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil. When heated, add in your garlic, carrots, celery, and onion. (Note: I am not a fan of celery, so I cut it larger and remove before pureeing so there is a hint of the flavor.) Stir occasionally until the carrots are slightly softened and the onion and garlic have caramelized a bit, about 12-15 minutes.
- Add in the cumin, chili flakes, and butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- Add in your chicken stock and red lentils and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, slightly covered, for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the top and let the soup cool slightly. Puree the soup, either using an immersion blender in the pot, or by adding some of the soup in batches to your blender and pureeing. Be very careful when doing this; remove the center of the blender’s top to allow for ventilation and cover with a kitchen towel before blending.
- When fully pureed, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with paprika and a squeeze of lemon juice.
