Spicy Red Lentil Soup

with Butternut Squash and Cauliflower

written by betty rosbottom
photography by harry zernike

Spicy Red Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash and Cauliflower

written by betty rosbottom
photography by harry zernike

I’VE OFTEN TOLD MY STUDENTS that I could become a vegetarian if I lived in India. I love the way that country’s cooks take humble ingredients like okra, potatoes, spinach, and lentils and transform them with fragrant spices, yogurt, and fresh herbs. The following recipe is a good example. Red lentils, or dhal, and a medley of winter vegetables are simmered with spices in stock until tender. As they cook, the lentils lose their coral hue, and break down into a rough purée that thickens this soup.

Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 cups cubed (½–inch dice) butternut squash or same quantity of pre-cut squash
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets, cut lengthwise into ½-inch slices; packaged florets work fine
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1½ teaspoons curry powder, plus more if desired
  • 1¼ teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon
    ground cumin
  • Freshly ground
    black pepper
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 2 teaspoons
    minced garlic
  • 5 cups chicken broth or stock, plus more if needed
  • 2 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 cup
    Greek-style yogurt
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Print Recipe
  1. In a large, heavy pot (with a lid) over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until hot. Add squash and cook, stirring often, until cubes are browned lightly and slightly tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, heat 2 more tablespoons of oil until hot. Add cauliflower, and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  3. In the same pot, heat the remaining oil until hot. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add curry powder, ginger, cumin, and several grinds of black pepper, and stir 30 seconds. Add lentils, garlic, and 4 cups of the chicken broth or vegetable stock. Bring soup to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until lentils start to break down and lose their color and mixture thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Stir in squash, cauliflower, and remaining 1 cup of broth or stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, 4 to 5 minutes. (Soup can be prepared two days ahead. Cook to this stage; cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat, stirring, over low heat.)
  5. Add spinach, stirring 1 to 2 minutes, until wilted. If soup is too thick, thin with a few tablespoons of broth. Season with salt and a pinch of curry if needed.
  6. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt and a generous sprinkle of cilantro.
SERVES 6

Start the year right by sharing the gift of comforting Indian-style soup with family and friends.

Up Next:

A Case of the Winter Blues
Soup Nights

Excerpted from © Soup Nights by Betty Rosbottom, Rizzoli New York, 2016. Images © Harry Zernike and may not be reproduced in any way, published, or transmitted digitally, without written permission from the publisher.

Posted in January 2018, Recipe on Nov 02, 2017