This Curried Butternut Squash Red Lentil Soup with Apple and Ginger is one of my favourite soups, period! It’s ultra creamy, thanks to the red lentils, as well as flavourful, cozy, and rich in protein and fibre.
We have been enjoying this soup on repeat all throughout the fall. It’s about high time that I shared it here! I first got the idea to add red lentils to a pureed soup a couple of years ago, when I created my Curried Carrot, Lentil, and Coconut Soup. It’s one of my older recipes, but such a goodie! My mom still makes it all the time and says it’s one of her favourite soup recipes ever. (Thanks, Mom!) Blending lentils into soup is a fabulous way to boost the protein, fibre, and folate content of any soup, which is so great for pregnant and nursing mamas… not to mention providing a way for you to get young children to eat lentils without them being the wiser!
why you should make this soup:
It’s:
- Packed with immune-boosting compounds thanks to the generous amounts of garlic, onion, ginger, and butternut squash.
- Rich in fibre, protein, and folate thanks to the red lentils.
- A great way to sneak lentils into your kids’ diet, since they’re pureed into the soup.
- Easy to prepare, requiring just a few minutes of hands-on prep and 25 minutes of simmering.
- The perfect lunch or light dinner when served with bread and butter, avocado toast, a sandwich/wrap/veggie burger, and/or a salad.
ingredients you’ll need
- Coconut oil, onion, garlic, celery, fresh ginger, salt, pepper, curry powder, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, butternut squash, apple, red lentils, vegetable broth, lemon or lime juice, and cilantro or parsley for garnish.
instructions
- Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, celery, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned, 8 minutes or so. Mix in the pepper to taste, curry powder, coriander, and cayenne. Add the butternut squash, apple, red lentils, and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium, cover loosely with the lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is fork tender and the lentils are fully cooked and falling apart. This will take 25-30 minutes.
- Let the soup cool slightly before transferring it into a blender and blending until super smooth. You will have to work in batches!
- Transfer the blended soup back into the pot and warm back up to desired serving temperature. Right before serving, mix in the lemon or lime juice. Garnish bowls with cilantro.
more of my favourite soup recipes
- African Peanut, Chickpea, and Sweet Potato Soup
- Southwestern White Bean, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Soup
- Cauliflower, Turmeric, and Potato Soup
I hope you love this Curried Butternut Squash Red Lentil Soup! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below. And if you post a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen.
Enjoy!
Print
Curried Butternut Squash Red Lentil Soup with Apple and Ginger
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Curried Butternut Squash Red Lentil Soup with Apple and Ginger is one of my favourite soups, period! It’s ultra creamy, thanks to the red lentils, as well as flavourful, cozy, and rich in protein and fibre.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne (or less for a milder heat)
- 6 cups peeled and diced butternut squash (1-inch dice)
- 1 medium apple, unpeeled and diced
- 1 cup split red lentils, rinsed
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
- Cilantro or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, celery, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned, 8 minutes or so. Mix in the pepper to taste, curry powder, coriander, and cayenne. Add the butternut squash, apple, red lentils, and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium, cover loosely with the lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is fork tender and the lentils are fully cooked and falling apart. This will take 25-30 minutes.
- Let the soup cool slightly before transferring it into a blender and blending until super smooth. You will have to work in batches!
- Transfer the blended soup back into the pot and warm back up to desired serving temperature. Right before serving, mix in the lemon or lime juice. Garnish bowls with cilantro.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Supper
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: curried squash lentil apple soup
Jennifer
The flavours in this soup are terrific, and I love the lentils for texture and protein. My new favourite soup for sure.
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you so much!
Sarah Polson
This soup is delicious and as you say, so creamy! Yummy 😋
★★★★★
Allison
Thanks, Sarah! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hannah
Delicious. I used sweet potato instead of squash, and I stirred in some homemade cashew cream before serving.
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Hannah, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this soup! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, too. 🙂
Henri
Fabulous soup!
★★★★
Allison
Thank you so much!
Jason
This is a 5 star all the way. So darn good!
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you! That’s really good to hear!
Marcy
The best soup for sure.
★★★★★
Allison
Oh, thank you!
Bruna Dessena
I made this !! and it’s now a staple soup in my house. love, love love this soup
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Bruna, I’m so happy to hear that you love this soup! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Brad
Amazing!
★★★★★
Maxine
I just found your web site thanks to my friend mentioning it. So I made this soup and it is amazingly tasty! Your recipes and photos are so appealing.
★★★★★
Angus
Love this soup!
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you!
Suzanne
So tasty and creamy, very satisfying soup, will make this again fro certain.
★★★★★
Yvonne
This is truly a satisfying soup, so creamy and tasty and healthy too!
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you!!