Description
This vegan Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils is creamy, spicy, savory, full of fresh herbs, and perfect for fall!
Ingredients
Units
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- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 tsp avocado oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 cup dry red lentils
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 1.5-2kg, 4-5 cups chopped)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
- 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1 piece of kombu (optional)
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish)
- 1/4 cup packed chopped parsley
Instructions
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds:
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add the pumpkin seeds, drizzle with the avocado oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and toss.
- Toast for a few minutes until fragrant and the pumpkin seeds start to pop. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve.
Red Lentils:
- Start by placing the red lentils into a bowl and cover with water to soak while you cook everything else. When ready to cook, drain and rinse the soaked red lentils, add them to a pot and cover with water (about 2” above the lentils), and add the bay leaf and kombu (if using). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the lentils soft. Drain excess water after it’s done if necessary. Take out the bay leaf and kombu and set aside.
Butternut squash soup:
- Cut off both ends of the butternut squash and slice it in half lengthwise. Be careful! Make sure you have a sharp knife for this. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and carefully peel. Chop the squash in small pieces and set aside.
- Add the avocado oil to a big pot and heat over high heat. Add the chopped onions and lower the heat to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, curry powder, and ground cumin. Cook for another 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.
- Add the chopped butternut squash to the pot and cover with boiling water (just enough to cover the butternut squash). Simmer partly covered for 15 minutes or until soft.
- Add the coconut milk, the chopped cilantro and parsley, and about ½ of the cooked lentils. Blend everything using an immersion blender or ladle the soup into a blender and blend on high. Be careful, I don’t recommend a Nutribullet for this. The soup is very hot and the steam needs to be able to escape while blending.
- Pour the soup back into the pot, add the rest of the cooked red lentils, and stir.
- Serve with more chopped herbs if desired and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
Toasted pumpkin seeds: You can also toast them in the oven at 400F for 5-10 minutes instead of on a pan.
Red lentils: I cook the lentils separately because I don't want to blend all of them with everything else. If you don't mind smooth soup, you can add the lentils 5 mins after the squash starts boiling to keep this a one-pot soup.
Soup: This soup isn't as thick because it's blended with the cooking water. If you want a thicker soup, check out my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe.