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Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup (Shorabit Jarjir)

5 from 4 votes

Butternut Squash & Red Lentil Soup ~ butternut squash is the base for this smooth, flavorful soup thickened with red lentils & fresh vegetables.

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Butternut Squash Lentil Soup-4

 

 This is an amazing soup.  Other than a little olive oil, the soup is made primarily with fresh vegetables and plenty of spice.  I was surprised that a soup this creamy was made without any milk, cream or butter.  The vegetables and red lentils are cooked until soft then pureed to create a lovely, thick, hearty and filling simple main course.

Butternut Squash Lentil Soup-1Lentils are another one of those super foods providing protein and fiber as well as two essential amino acids.  Lentils have been named one of the top five healthiest foods by Health Magazine.

Butternut Squash Lentil Soup-2You’ll need to spend some quality time honing your knife skills preparing the vegetables.  Everything is diced small for quick and effective cooking.

Butternut Squash Lentil Soup-3Once complete, garnish the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of paprika and fresh chopped parsley.

Butternut Squash Lentil Soup-5Serve with warm pitas or flatbread for a completely wonderful meatless-Monday meal!

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup (Shorabit Jarjir)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 6
Course: Soup
Author: Tricia
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5 from 4 votes
Sauteed butternut squash is the base for this smooth, flavorful soup thickened with protein rich red lentils and fresh vegetables.  

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 4 medium carrots diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • ½ small butternut squash diced, about 1 lb weighed after peeled and seeds removed
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 6 cups vegetable stock or broth
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • parsley and paprika for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onion. Cook stirring frequently until lightly caramelized, about 12-15 minutes.
  • Add the cumin, crushed red pepper, squash, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the squash is soft, about 15 minutes.
  • Add the stock and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, slightly covered until the lentils are very soft and all vegetable are tender.
  • Remove the soup from the heat and puree the soup using a stick/immersion blender or carefully process in batches in a blender until creamy smooth.
  • Serve the soup garnished with fresh chopped parsley, paprika and lemon wedges squeezed on top.
  • Serve with warm pitas or flatbread and lemon wedges.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from a recipe published in a December 2013 issue of Saveur Magazine.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 1375mg | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 14066IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg

 

Isaac Pumpkin 2014-1

We are lucky to have a nice couple that live just down the road, and each year they grow pumpkins to sell to anybody that wants to pick a few.  We spent a wonderful Saturday afternoon with our grandson Isaac and our daughter Allie picking pumpkins to carve for Halloween.

Isaac Pumpkin 2014-5

Allie is our pumpkin artist and this year she selected six (6) to carve!  This one is so big – I know it will be great.  The owners of the farm provide clippers and wheelbarrows and set you free to pick away.  Isaac was giving it his best effort to drive the wheelbarrow but had no luck getting it to the truck.

 

PUNKIN PICKIN-3A beautiful day, on a beautiful farm, with pumpkins as far as the eye can see! Most are still covered up by grass – you’ve never seen so many and all are reasonably priced.  They grew one 80 pound pumpkin and sold it for $15.  They are so sweet!

Have you ever picked your own pumpkins?  This is such a fun outing especially with Isaac and Allie.  They are a blast!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

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26 Comments

  2. Becky Green

    Tricia, just wanted you to know, my husband LOVED this soup! It is going to be a recipe to keep & have again! 😀 What wonderful flavors! AND so healthy too! THANK YOU!! 😀 (I paired it with an Onion & Sage Focaccia Bread! WOW!) 😀

    Reply

  6. Betty

    Beautiful soup! Butternut and red lentil is my “go-to” soup for winter- I always keep containers in my freezer to take for lunch. 🙂 Those are some pretty pumpkins!

    Reply

  8. Susan

    I just made butternut squash soup recently and my husband loved it. This recipe looks even more hearty with the red lentils in it. What a great idea!

    Your grandson is adorable 😉 How wonderful to have that pumpkin farm so near.

    Reply

  11. Monica

    I literally just made curried red lentil soup a few days ago! I’m with you at being amazed and impressed by all the creamy soups we can make w/o any dairy thanks to these wonderful vegetables. I would welcome a big pot of this right now…can’t have too much soup once the weather turns cold. It makes me feel warm and cozy just looking at your gorgeous pics.

    Reply

  14. Becky Green

    O.K., it looks like my comment didn’t go through earlier. So, here’s what I said—-I will HAVE TO try this recipe! It looks WONDERFUL! (as usual) 🙂 Tonight we’re having a Deer Stew. AND yes, we have been pumpkin picking! It is a FUN ACTIVITY for a family! Kids LOVE IT! Do show us your daughter’s talent with Pumpkin carving? 😀

    Reply

  15. Becky Green

    Tricia, just to let you know….When I hit submit to my comment, (I’m not even sure it went through) this thing told me I was making comments too quickly & to slow down. I ONLY did that one comment. LOL Just thought you might like to know, incase this shows a problem.

    Reply

  16. Dom

    you know when that much fresh goodness goes into a soup it just has to be good… it looks superb and I love the spices in here too… gorgeous autumnal soup x

    Reply

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