As spring begins to unfold and the weather changes to beautiful sunny days and chilly evenings, I like that we can still enjoy warming and wholesome soups. Butternut squash is so versatile and there are various ways to use it in soups, curries, salads, etc.
Soup and stews are a great meal option for so many reasons, here are my top 5 reasons why I enjoy cooking both:
- Delicious, hearty and wholesome
- Easy, fuss-free one-pot style cooking, saves time
- Great for batch-cooking
- Ideal for busy mid-week meals
- Easy to please fussy eaters!
- Just combine with bread, various toppings and add an extra dash of something special
- Add lentils to bulk out soups and stews
This recipe is created by Chef Annie James at Sunrise of Tettenhall for Sunrise Senior Living who make sure that all of their recipes are nutritious and tasty, making them great for everyone, not just the elderly. Of the many recipe options, they sent me I choose to make this one because I simply adored red lentils as those who read my blog will know. The buttery aroma of onions sauteing which filled my kitchen was simply amazing and very satisfying. Needless to say, the soup went down and treat and even normally fussy hubster greedily licked his bowl clean – no better compliment than that folks isn’t it? I must admit I couldn’t resist adding a bit of my own personal finishing touches as my palate is so used to all the spicy and tangy little add-on’s that I normally use 😉
Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 150 gms Butternut Squash – peeled and diced into bite-sized bits
- 60 gms Dried red lentil i.e. masoor dal – split without skin
- 3 Carrots – peeled and diced into small bits
- 2 Red onion – peeled and chopped fine
- 12 gms Unsalted butter
- Sea salt with a hint of garlic
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- A small quantity of fresh coriander to garnish
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or stockpot melt the butter on a medium flame
- Sauté’ the finely chopped onions in the butter for just under 4- 5 minutes till they turn a beautiful golden-brown colour and reduce
- Then add in the chopped carrots, squash, and sauté’ for a further 2- 3 minutes.
- Now stir in the vegetable stock and the red lentils
- Reduce to a low flame and let the soup simmer gently
- Cook until the vegetables and lentils are tender
- Allow the soup to cool down to room temperature, then using a hand blender puree’ until smooth, or as I did, give it a whizz in your food processor
- Season with sea salt with garlic or plain sea salt and add a generous sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper
- Garnish with just a small amount of finely chopped fresh coriander
- Serve hot ideally with a slice of warm crusty bread with a dollop of butter. If your conscience allows it stir in a small amount of fresh cream into the soup or smother your crusty bread with some freshly made garlic butter
Looking for easy to make, delicious Soup and Stew recipes? Why not browse through some of my easy to follow recipes:
- Creamy celeriac and smoked red pepper soup
- Clear Vegetable soup – Fusion recipe with an Indian twist
- Red Lentil Soup
- Tomato and Lentil soupy broth
- Chinese chicken noodle soup
- BBQ Pulled Pork and aromatic noodle soup
*With thanks to Sunrise Senior Living and the PR team for reimbursing the expense for ingredients. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
