Curried Red Lentil & Winter Squash Soup Recipe
Soup. In my opinion, it’s best when the weather drops under 30°F (-1°C). So this Monday it was at a bloody low 20°F (-6°C)and this summer baby whipped out ingredients to make Curried Red Lentil & Winter Squash Soup.
The history of this soup comes from a co-op that I worked at a few years back. It was during a time where I really didn’t know where I sat at in the culinary world. It was fun. The store was filled with all types of people [hippies, hipsters, stay-at-home moms and dads, 9 to 5ers, conservative Republicans, and Wiccans]. In this one place in the universe, everyone got along.
So watching my co-worker and friend make this soup I eventually memorized a few recipes. I’m no genius, this soup is incredibly wholesome, rich, and easy to make. Also, it’s vegan and gluten-free.
- 1 small Winter Squash (I prefer butternut squash)
- 1 cup Red Lentils
- ½ chopped Onions (Spanish, Yellow, or White)
- 2 – 3 chopped Carrots
- 1 quart Vegetable Broth (preferably from scratch, but store-bought is okay too)
- 1 can (13.5 fl oz) coconut milk (regular and not the light version. Make sure it’s unsweetened!)
- 2 Tbsp. Canola Oil
- Fresh Cilantro (a tablespoon worth)
- 1 tsp. Curry Powder
- 1 tsp. Cumin
- 1 tsp. Coriander
- Salt to taste ( I recommend salting at the end. You do it once, you will soon learn why. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED)
- Cut, gut, and slice the squash into chunks. Pan spray a tray and place the squash on the tray skin up.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°F or (176°C) until very soft.
- When cooled (don’t burn your hands), scoop out the flesh into a bowl for later.
- Place the canola oil in a big pot on a medium low temperature. When the oil is hot (NOT SMOKING) add the onions and carrots and sauté until tender.
- Add the Vegetable Broth and cook the mixture until the Red Lentils are soft and cooked.
- Include the remaining ingredients and mix occasionally for 45 to 60 minutes. I usually place a lid on the pot and clean up my prepping mess at this point.
- When done take an immersion blender or food processor and go to town until smooth. Please, not that I like my soup on the chunkier side. Don’t worry if you want it completely smooth. If you do, strain it through a China Cap.
- Salt to taste.
- Pour it into a bowl, add some cilantro (or parsley) to garnish, and enjoy.
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