Curried Pumpkin Soup with Lentils

By á-43522

I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin. I also sautéed celery and carrots with the lentils. I added 1 1/2 t salt and a couple shakes of pepper. I used approximate 6 cups of squash and 4 cups broth. Recipe is flexible. My husband and I really liked it but my daughter was not fond of the curry and thought it was too spicy. We had a cornbread muffin on the side and it was a nice compliment to the soup. It was very filling!

Ingredients

• Approx. 2 small or 1 large pumpkin – to yield about 4 cups cooked flesh. Can also use butternut squash.
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup raw lentils
• 1 can (14.5 oz) coconut milk OR 1 3/4 cups yogurt
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons butter or EVOO
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Wash exterior and cut pumpkin/s in half, remove pulp & seeds, and place face-down on a baking sheet. Bake 45-60 minutes, until soft (fork inserted through skin easily penetrates flesh.) Remove from oven and flip the halves to cool. Pulp and seeds can be left in during cooking & are easier to remove afterwards, but if I am using pumpkin I like to salvage the seeds to roast so I do it beforehand.
3. While the pumpkin is cooking, sautee the onions in oil/butter over low/medium heat until they are translucent, then add garlic and continue to sautee another couple of minutes. Transfer to soup pot and stir in spices, then add broth and lentils and simmer until lentils are cooked/soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Combine about 2 cups of cooked squash with about 1/3 of the broth mixture and puree – immersible blender is ideal for this if you have one, but a blender or food processer is fine too. Repeat with remaining 2 cups of squash and 1/3 of broth mixture. Final 1/3 of broth/onions/lentils can be pureed or left as-is for texture, however you prefer. For that matter, none of the onions/lentils need to be pureed – it’s a nice flexible recipe that way!
5. Return everything to the large pot and simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors (add more curry and salt to taste.) Stir in coconut milk or yogurt. Simmer longer to thicken or add water/broth to thin to your preferred consistency.