Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

This  red lentil and butternut squash soup is comforting, filling and delicious. The addition of red lentils adds a lovely creamy texture, whilst allowing the sweet and nutty flavour of the squash to be the star of the show. Lentils also add a healthy dose of protein and extra fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Butternut squash and lentils are both great for your health.

Like most other members of the pumpkin family, butternut squash is an excellent source of beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A. It is also rich in vitamins C, E and a number of B vitamins. Butternut squash also contains a number of important minerals, and both soluble and insoluble fibre. (You can read more about the health benefits of butternut squash here.)

The addition of red lentils to this soup further increases the fibre and B vitamins. They also add minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc. Importantly, lentils are also an excellent source of low fat plant protein. This means that this red lentil and butternut squash soup will keep you fuller for longer.

You might also like this broccoli soup with almonds for extra protein.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to make red lentil and butternut squash soup
• Serving and storage
• Frequently asked questions
• Other healthy soup recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Butternut squash
  One of the things I love about butternut squash is that is is easier to prepare than a round pumpkin. The top of the squash doesn't contain seeds, which also means that there is less wastage. I used a medium sized squash which weighed about 900 grams for this quantity of soup. However, it won't matter if your squash is a bit larger or smaller. Don't forget to keep the seeds, as they make tasty oven roast pumpkin seeds. 
• Onion and garlic
  These both enhance the flavour of red lentils and squash . You can use either white or red onion.
• Lentils
  For this butternut squash soup recipe, you'll need red lentils as they cook down easily, making them perfect for soup. Green or brown lentils would keep their texture too much, and you wouldn't end up with a smooth and creamy soup.
• Stock
  Use vegetable stock if you want a vegan butternut squash soup, otherwise chicken stock will also add a good flavour. Fresh stock is always great in soup, but you'll get a perfectly good result with a stock cube if that is what you have available. I used one stock cube to make 700ml of stock for this recipe. Make sure you taste the soup before you add any further salt, as you'll probably find it is already well seasoned.
• Olive oil, or you could use coconut oil or butter if you prefer.
• Mild curry powder. 1 teaspoon of mild curry powder will just add depth of flavour to this soup, but it won't taste at all hot or spicy. If you do want a hot and spicy red lentil and butternut squash soup, then use a stronger chilli powder, or some fresh chilli. In which case, you might also like to replace some of the stock with coconut milk to complement the spicy flavour.

How to make red lentil and butternut squash soup

The method for this soup is very simple. It's made on the stovetop, without the need to roast the squash.

First, prepare the vegetables. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. You will also need to peel the squash for this recipe, but it's a relatively quick and easy job. I find the easiest way is to trim the skin off the flesh with a sharp knife. You could also use a heavy duty vegetable peeler, if you have one. Then cut the flesh into 2 cm chunks.

Fry the onions in the olive oil over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they are starting to brown slightly. Add the garlic and curry powder, and fry for a couple of minutes longer. Frying the onions, garlic and spices in this way adds an extra layer of flavour.

Then add the butternut squash, lentils and stock to the pan, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the lentils don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

I find it easiest to blitz my soup with an immersion blender. That way I can blend it in the saucepan, without the need to further washing up. But if you prefer, transfer it to food processor and blitz until smooth.

Serving and storage

Add some crunch with these crispy chickpea nibbles or toasted seeds.

You can store your red lentil and butternut squash soup in the fridge for a few days, and reheat it as needed on the hob. This soup also freezes perfectly.

This recipe is ideal for a filling, healthy lunch.  Whilst the soup is simmering, you could whip up a batch of these quick wholemeal flatbreads which you can also cook on the hob. The recipe quantity makes four generous servings, if you're having the soup as a starter, then you may get six servings.

Frequently asked questions

Other healthy soup recipes

Other warming soup recipes that you might like to try include carrot and apple soup, tomato and red lentil soup, sweet potato and red pepper soup or this quick and easy pumpkin soup

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Recipe

Please note nutritional information is for guidance only