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Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

A plant-based, cozy and filling meal that everyone will enjoy. It’s sure to be a new flavourful fall favourite!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy, one pot
Servings: 6 people
Author: Ashlen Leonard

Ingredients

  • 3 cup butternut squash frozen or peeled and chopped into 1" pieces*
  • 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium apple cored and chopped
  • 1 540ml can lentils drained and rinsed
  • 3 cup vegetable stock
  • ½ cup white onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp fresh ginger
  • ½ tsp dried sage
  • Salt and pepper to taste

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

*How to prepare fresh butternut squash: 

  1. Start by slicing off the top and bottom 1/2-inch (including the stem) of the squash, and discard.
  2. 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. 
  3. Once the squash has been fully peeled, using a large knife, cut the squash in half horizontally. Then cut it in half vertically. 
  4. Scoop out all of the seeds and pulp. Cut into 1" pieces and use them in the recipe!
 

Substitutions and add-ins

  • Alternative squash
    • Instead of butternut squash, you could use honeynut squash or pumpkin! Honeynut squash is a smaller version of butternut and provides a sweeter taste. You may need more than 1 honeynut squash to make this recipe, depending on the size.
  • Frozen squash
    • Using frozen, pre-packaged squash saves you so much time and effort in the kitchen. You can add the squash directly into the pot without any peeling or chopping!
  • Pear
    • Feel free to use pear instead of apple for this recipe. Again, no need to peel it. Just remove the steam and seeds and then chop it up before adding it to the pot.
  • Other beans
    • I love using lentils in soup because they don’t change the flavour and they are easier to blend. However, you are welcome to use another soft bean like navy beans or other types of white beans.
  • Chicken or beef broth
    • You can absolutely use another type of broth if this is what you have available. This will just result in a soup that’s no longer vegetarian or vegan.
  • Butter 
    • This can be used in place of olive oil.
  • Ginger
    • This recipe calls for fresh ginger but you can use half the amount of ginger powder if that’s easier for you.
  • Coconut milk
    • For an extra creamy texture, replace half of the vegetable stock with coconut milk!
  • Maple syrup
    • If you’re looking for a sweeter flavour of soup, you can add 1-2 tsp of maple syrup, or as much as you need for your preference.
  • Red pepper flakes
    • For a spicier soup, add a couple pinches of red pepper flakes and don’t forget to wash your hands after touching them!