Red Lentil & Butternut Squash Curry Soup {Recipe}

I have been on a fresh vegetable kick lately since I discovered I could buy organic produce at the farmers market for less than conventional at our local grocery store. I've made it my mission to make a trip downtown (every Saturday) to pick up a basket of fruit and vegetables and plan a week's worth of meals around them. So far, it has been pretty successful and I have only heard a few complaints, mostly from my daughter, about the lack of meat in our diet.

This week's haul included a little butternut squash and some red lentils that I picked up from Whole Foods. I had never cooked red lentils (always green), but they looked so pretty and I figured it would be good to try something new. A little Googling brought me to a recipe from Martha Stewart using both of these ingredients and it looked pretty painless to make: Red Lentil and Squash Curry Soup.

I adapted the recipe slightly and the soup was delicious! A perfect warm-you-up meal for fall and winter.

And yes, I did make a homemade bread bowl that I will be sharing later.

Red Lentil & Butternut Squash Curry Soup

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons Curry Powder
• 12 ounces red lentils
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
• Two 14 1/2-ounce cans low-sodium canned, or homemade, chicken stock, skimmed of fat
• 2 cups water

Directions

1. Combine salt and curry powder.
2. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add curry mixture; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add onion and garlic; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
4. Add squash; cook until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
5. Add stock and water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in lentils; cook until soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
7. For a smoother consistency, puree in Vita Mix or Blender, add more stock if mixture becomes to thick.
8. Season as desired. I topped my soup with cinnamon!