Fall Flavors: Indian-Spiced Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

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It is finally fall!  It has been feeling cooler the past few weeks, but fall officially began a few days ago.  I love the cool mornings and evenings, and the sunny but mild afternoons.  I am one of those people who perks up at the idea of pumpkin-flavored everything, but moreso for homemade pumpkin bread and pumpkin ravioli than a pumpkin-spiced latte.  To me, there is really no better way to celebrate the start of fall than to combine beautiful winter squash with warm and comforting soup!

I adapted this recipe from one in the book The Kind Diet.  I am attempting to be a vegan for an upcoming ten-day religious holiday and was looking for good vegan recipes. This soup recipe is fantastic because it is incredibly filling from the combination of lentils and butternut squash.  It is also packed with all the nutrients you need--fiber, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamins A, C, and E from the butternut squash; protein, fiber, folate, and iron from the lentils; calcium and iron from the spinach; the anti-oxidant lycopene and Vitamin C from the tomato; and of course, the many health benefits of spices like turmeric and cinnamon.  This soup is an absolute health bomb!

As a note, I used masoor dal (red lentils) to make this soup.  You can easily find them in your local grocery store wherever they keep lentils, Indian/Arabic ingredients, or Bob's Red Mill products.  If you can't find red lentils, you can substitute with regular brown lentils.

First, peel the outer skin and then peel the outer whitish layer of the butternut squash.  I promise this is the hardest part of this recipe!  Peel away until you get to the orange flesh of the squash.  There are also some stores that sell peeled and cubed squash ready for you to buy, but it is not hard to do it yourself!

Cut the squash in half and then using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the seeds from one half.  Then cut that one half in 3/4-inch to 1-inch cubes.  You will likely only need to cut and cube one half to get the requisite 2 cups of cubed squash.

Next, finely mince the garlic and finely chop the onion--no one wants large pieces of onion in their soup!  Heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat and add the garlic.  Once the garlic begins to sizzle in the oil, add the onions and stir to coat the onions in the olive oil.  Allow the onions to cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.

As the onion and garlic cook, go ahead and chop the tomato and grate the ginger.  If you are not fast at chopping vegetables, you may want to do this when you cut the onion and garlic.

Add the turmeric to the onions and garlic and stir to coat.  Allow the turmeric to cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes and ginger and stir to combine.  Cover the pot with a lid, and allow the tomatoes to cook until they become soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Once the tomatoes have softened, use a plastic or rubber spatula to mash the tomatoes into a paste.

Now add a few more spices--cumin, coriander, and cinnamon.  Allow the spices to cook in the tomato paste for 2 minutes.

Next, add the cubed butternut squash, masoor dal, and vegetable broth.  Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil.  Once the soup begins to boil, lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, the squash should have softened and the lentils will have cooked.  Add the spinach to the pot and stir it into the soup.  Then add the red chili powder and salt cover with a lid again, and allow it to simmer for 5 to 7 more minutes.  

Take out a small amount of soup into a bowl and allow it to cool before tasting.  If you feel that it needs more salt or any spice, add it at this point.  Eat alone or serve with a toasted slice of sourdough bread.  Happy Eating!!

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Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 large tomato
• 1-inch piece ginger (enough for 1 tbsp. grated)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. coriander
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 butternut squash (or 1 large sweet potato)
• 1/2 cup masoor dal/red lentils (or brown lentils)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (32 oz)
• 2 handfuls spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/4 tsp. red chili powder/lal mirch (or cayenne pepper)
• 1 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)

Recipe (serves 2 to 4):

1. Peel the skin off the butternut squash, and continue peeling through the whitish flesh until you hit the orange flesh of the squash.  Cut the squash in half, and use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the seeds of one half.  Cut the one half into 3/4-inch to 1-inch cubes.  There should be roughly 2-cups worth of cubed squash.
2. Finely mince the garlic and finely chop the onion.  Chop the tomato and grate the ginger.
3. Heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-low heat until it begins to sizzle.  Add the onion and stir to coat it in the olive oil.  Cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the turmeric to the onions and stir to coat.  Cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes and ginger and stir to combine.  Cover the pot with a lid and allow the tomatoes to cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Once the tomatoes have softened, use the back of a plastic or rubber spatula to mash the tomatoes and create a paste.
6. Add the cumin, coriander, and cinnamon to the paste.  Stir to combine, and allow the spices to cook in the tomato paste for 2 minutes.
7. Add the cubed butternut squash, masoor dal, and vegetable broth.  Cover the pot with a lid and bring the contents to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes.
8. Add the spinach, red chili powder, and salt.  Allow the soup to simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes.
9. Remove a small amount into a bowl and allow it to cool.  Taste the soup and add salt and/or spices as needed and to taste.
10. Serve hot by itself or with a side of toasted sourdough bread!

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