Butternut Squash, Carrot & Lentil Soup
This may sound strange but this Butternut Squash, Carrot & Lentil Soup means a lot to me. The reason being the memories that were made from developing and enjoying it. In summary, it’s a flavourful and filling plant-based (vegetarian and vegan) soup that will get you in the fall mood!
My mom recently came out to Vancouver to visit and we had the best time. The majority of time she was here it was raining (classic Vancouver weather), so we were craving some cozy meals. Soup was what we landed on. My mom admitted that she typically doesn’t like the taste of squash but has tried butternut squash soup in the past and didn’t hate it. So I ran with that to base this seasonal soup on. We had the best time making and eating it, all while staying out of the rain.
I had originally planned on using white beans to add creaminess and protein. However, it wasn’t until we had already started that I realized we only had lentils in the cupboard. So lentils it was and it turned out wonderfully! The lentils boost the protein, fibre and iron content of this soup without adding any animal products.
To make this Butternut Squash, Carrot & Lentil Soup creamy, you can use an immersion hand blender to blitz it all up. Alternatively, if you don’t have a hand blender, a stand up blender will do. Just be super careful because the soup will be very hot! If you aren’t in a rush to get a meal on the table, just wait for the soup to cool a bit before blending it up.
To prepare the butternut squash:
For this recipe I used frozen and pre-cut butternut squash but if you have more time on your hands, follow these instructions to prepare the squash yourself.
- Start by slicing off the top and bottom 1/2-inch (including the stem) of the squash, and discard.
- Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife, peel/cut all of the skin off of the squash. Try your best to leave as much squash as possible when peeling. Discard the peel.
- Once the squash has been fully peeled, using a large knife, cut the squash in half horizontally. Then cut it in half vertically.
- Scoop out all of the seeds and pulp. Cut into 1″ pieces and use them in the recipe!
If you are in the mood for more butternut squash, you need to try these recipes from two of my favourite food bloggers:
I hope you are able to make wonderful memories while making this Butternut Squash, Carrot & Lentil soup, just like I did. I recommend pairing this with some cheese and crackers or baguette and butter. Enjoy!
More soup recipes you need to try this Fall:
Butternut Squash, Carrot & Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 cup white onion chopped
- 3 cup butternut squash frozen or peeled and chopped into 1" pieces*
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cup vegetable stock
- 1 540 ml can lentils drained and rinsed
- 1 medium apple cored and chopped
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pumpkin seeds for topping
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Next, add the butternut squash and carrots and cook for 4-5 minutes or until they begin to soften.
- Add the apples and vegetable stock and bring this to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked through.
- Add the canned lentils, cinnamon, ginger and sage and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Turn off the burner and remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy.
- Season with salt and pepper and top with pumpkin seeds (optional). Serve alongside some baguette and enjoy!
Notes
- Start by slicing off the top and bottom 1/2-inch (including the stem) of the squash, and discard.
- Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife, peel/cut all of the skin off of the squash. Try your best to leave as much squash as possible when peeling. Discard the peel.
- Once the squash has been fully peeled, using a large knife, cut the squash in half horizontally. Then cut it in half vertically.
- Scoop out all of the seeds and pulp. Cut into 1" pieces and use them in the recipe!
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This recipe looks great – I have dried lentils on hand. I’m assuming I need to cook them first – do you know how many dried lentils will give me the equivalent of a 540 ml that has been drained and rinsed?
Hi Lori! Great question. You do need to cook them first and 1 cup of dried lentils makes about 2.5 cups of cooked lentils. There are roughly 2 cups of cooked lentils in the 540 ml can so I would say about 3/4 cup of dried lentils would be perfect! If there are a few extras you could always make some Lentil Cookies or add them to a separate dish 🙂