Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup is made with fresh, healthy ingredients and is garnished with Greek yogurt, pepitas and parsley. Make a batch and enjoy it for lunch or dinner throughout the week!
Whether we like it or not, for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, fall is here. So tell me, what do you like or dislike about the changing of the seasons? Do you dread the arrival of the colder temperatures? Do you love apple picking, pumpkin picking and more fun fall activities?
I’ll admit, when I lived in New England I had a love/hate relationship with fall. I loved all of the new flavors, apples, pumpkins, cider, and more. I loved fall clothing and fall foliage. But I dreaded the arrival of the cold winter weather. Now that I live in Florida, I absolutely love fall. The weather cools down a little, the beaches are gorgeous and my garden starts bursting with fall flavors.
One of the fall flavors I can’t resist is butternut squash. I like to chop the squash into small pieces, mix with a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in an oven for 25 minutes. It’s quick, easy and the perfect addition to any meal.
In my quest to make weeknight meal planning easy, I try to prep a few meals ahead of time to last me throughout the week. Mason jar salads, one pot pasta, and spiralized noodles are great weeknight meals. I also love making a big pot of soup to last me a few days during the week. For this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils. I love adding red lentils to the roasted butternut squash soup because it gives the soup a better texture and flavor. Not to mention that it enhances the beautiful color too.
Make a batch yourself and enjoy the flavors of fall!
Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra olive oil, divided
- 1 small butternut squash, about 2 pounds, peeled, seeded and chopped into small cubes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup red lentils
Toppings:
- chopped parsley
- pepitas
- Greek yogurt
Instructions
- To roast the butternut squash, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the squash and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange squash on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- Heat the remaining oil in a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 to 14 minutes or until slightly caramelized. Stir in cumin, chile flakes, paprika, and roasted squash. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add stock and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, slightly covered, for 20 minutes or until lentils are very tender. Cool slightly then, working in batches, use an immersion blender to purée soup until smooth. Garnish with parsley, pepitas and yogurt, as desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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This is the way to do soup!! I can’t get enough lentils, and I’m all about the butternut squash!
We are anxiously awaiting for it to feel like Fall around here – we’re still in the 90s! Can’t wait to try this soup.
I have it on my to-do list to make a pureed lentil soup. We ate it all the time in Turkey last summer and even though it was SO hot, we wanted it as an appetizer all of the time.
Yay for fall soup! Roasted butternut squash is so yum! I love that you made soup out of it. It’s total comfort food!
Yessss! I love butternut squash soup, and I am so in love with the idea of adding lentils for some extra protein, texture, and weight. And as far as fall — I’m just like you used to be. I LOVE all of the fall flavors and the crisp days and evenings, but dread the cold winter months ahead. At least I’ll have this yummy soup to keep me warm, though! And hopefully one day I’ll get to be a Florida resident just like you 🙂