Combat winter's chill with a bowl of soup and a week of great soup recipes. We continue our week of soups with a vegetarian squash and lentil soup made easy with your Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. Not only is it excellent comfort food, it's good for you too. But we totally understand if you opt to focus on just how delicious it is while reaping all the health benefits quietly!
Can you tweak this soup? Sure. If you have an aversion to ginger or an allergy to onions, do what you need to do. But this soup is just so darned good and good for you that I just make it this way each time. Sometimes I blend it fully and sometimes I leave it a bit chunky, but otherwise I keep it consistent and enjoy it for dinner and then lunches as leftovers. And when the weather's cold, I make it at least once month. I like it that much.
I like to sprinkle something crunchy - I used some Indian snack mix in the above pics - and drizzle yogurt on this soup when I'm serving it. Sometimes I pair a cup of this soup with falafels tucked into warm pita or just a really lovely grilled cheese sandwich. It can also be great alongside your favorite salad … maybe something with nuts, apples, and cheese? In a pinch, serve it with a chunk of crusty bread or warmed naan. It's great and you'll thank yourself for making it.
Butternut Lentil Soup
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, coarsely shredded
- 1 medium (2 pound) butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup green lentils, rinsed and sorted
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups baby spinach
Add the olive oil to the pot of your Instant Pot and heat using the sauté setting. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion; sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onion begin to soften.
Add the carrot and butternut squash cubes; sauté for a few more minutes. Add the yellow curry powder and turmeric. Allow the spices to cook together for 30 seconds then immediately stir in the broth and lentils. Season with the salt and pepper.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and move the valve to the sealing setting. Set the pot to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. After the cooking period has ended, allow the pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
Using an immersion blender on a low setting, blend the soup to your desired consistency. Once the desired consistency has been achieved, stir the fresh spinach into the soup until just wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the soup as necessary. Serve warm.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 50 minutes