Quick and Delicious Curried Squash or Pumpkin Lentil Soup

Legumes… I can’t say enough about these little guys. From chickpeas to black beans to lentils to peas to peanuts to soy! They are one of the best foods we can feed our body, but often one of the foods we least feed our body.

“Legumes are low GI and help to better regular blood glucose levels. They are also a great source of protein, iron and zinc and contain very little fat.”

Legumes are one of the best sources of protein in the plant world with 1 cup of lentils containing ~17g of protein. When you compare this to a can of tuna which contains 18g of protein it is easy to see how valuable legumes are in a plant based diet.

They also get an A+ for sustainability. Legumes have the unique ability to fix nitrogen which could play a big part in decreasing our dependence on commercial fertilisers and thus decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. This feature also makes the rotation of crops with legumes especially suitable for organic production where the use of chemical fertilisers is forbidden.

This soup is a great way to introduce the good ol’ legume to kids or legume-skeptics. The red lentils break apart in the soup, leaving no trace except for a thicker more delicious soup with a higher nutrition density.

Recipe for Curried Squash Lentil Soup

Serves 6 hungry people
Recipe by Rachel
Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients for Curried Squash Lentil Soup

1 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red chili, minced (optional)
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp tumeric
300g squash, cut into 1.5 inch cubes (I used Butternut Pumpkin/Squash)
2 cups of red lentils
6 cups vegetable stock*
1 lemon
natural yoghurt (optional)

*homemade stock is the best but if you choose to purchase it, look for an organic one to avoid any nasties hiding in there

Method for Curried Squash Lentil Soup

Rinse red lentils. This is important to avoid biting into any tiny little pebbles, ouch!

Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Add onions and gently fry on medium-high heat until translucent.

Add garlic and chili, fry for 30 seconds. Add all spices and fry until fragrant, usually another 30 seconds.

Add pumpkin and reduce heat. Cover pot and let pumpkin cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once pumpkin has softened add stock and cook for a further 8 minutes.

Add red lentils to the soup mix, let simmer for about 8 minutes or until the lentils have completely broken apart. Add more water or stock if it gets too thick.

Now for decision time, do you like your soup chunky or blended? I prefer to mash my soup with a potato masher because I am lazy and don’t like dishes… but it tastes just as delicious blended.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice. This is the secret ingredient. Not only does it make the soup taste out of this world, but it also helps you to absorb the iron more efficiently from the lentils. If you have ever been to Turkey and had their traditional lentil soup… you will understand the tastiness of the added lemon.

I also like to eat mine with a dollop of natural yoghurt (in place of cream of course).