Vegan Lentil & Butternut Squash Soup
Spring is in full force. Flowers are opening up and everything is blooming. It all looks beautiful!
It’s so deceiving though. I mean, allergies, c’mon! It’s awful. There are days my eyes feel as if they had sand in them. And the sneezing?! When does it stop?!
I shouldn’t actually complain. My allergies are adult-onset, meaning they developed as an adult. My daughter on the other hand… she’s suffered from allergies since she was almost 7 years old. Her allergic reactions are terrible. I feel for her.
These last couple of days have been windy and a little chilly, if you ask me. The cool days really had me craving soup. Something warm and savory. Especially for my daughter who took a hit with her allergies this weekend.
As I stood in front of the pantry, clueless about what to make, I couldn’t help but noticed the little half-filled container with green lentils tucked behind the brown rice. My heart immediately went to making Ecuadorian lentils but I didn’t feel like eating rice and you can’t really eat Ecuadorian lentils without rice. You just can’t.
A couple of weeks ago, I came across a Lentil Soup recipe from The Cozy Apron on Pinterest. I saved it because it looked amazing. I thought I’d make it sometime.
The day came today. I put my mask on and walked to the store to gather the rest of the ingredients that I did not have on hand (like parsley and cilantro). Beer (the author) calls for potato which I substituted for butternut squash. She also calls for lemon juice, and at first I was hesitant about it. It just sounded out of place.
I couldn’t be more wrong! The addition of lemon juice gives the finishing touch to this soup. GENIUS!
My family is not a fan of soup (unless it’s chicken tortilla soup, or chicken noodle soup). But the end result was delicious and it hit the spot, for sure! Even with the substitutions, it turned out great and they all enjoyed it.
Hop over to her site, she has so many recipes that look mouth-watering!
Vegan Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 2 1/2 cups green lentils, rinsed
- 8 cups Vegetable broth
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Squeeze of lemon
Directions
- Place a medium-size pot over medium-high heat, and add in the vegan butter and olive oil; once the butter has melted, add in the onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until just tender.
- Add in the pressed garlic.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper, the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, and stir to combine.
- Add in the tomato sauce and stir to incorporate.
- Add the diced butternut squash and lentils, and stir until fully incorporated.
- Add in the vegetable broth and bring to boil. Cover and lower heat to gently simmer the soup for about 35-40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and the soup thickened.
- Remove from heat and mix in the spinach, cilantro, and parsley.
- Mix in the juice of one lemon.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
