Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup

Name: Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 800 g pumpkin or butternut squash; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 (about 150 g) onion, diced; 1 carrot, diced; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 30 g fresh ginger, grated; 2 tsp ground cumin; 200 g red lentils; 1.2 l vegetable stock; 100 ml coconut milk; 1 lime

Pumpkin roasted rather than boiled, blended with red lentils, ginger and coconut milk into a soup thick enough to stand a spoon in. It freezes perfectly.

VeganMeal prepFreezer friendly

A deep bowl of thick orange soup with a swirl of coconut milk on top and a few dark, caramelised pieces of roasted pumpkin scattered over it.

Servings: 4
Total time: 40 min
Hands-on: 15 min

What you need

Roasting tin
Large pot
Stick blender

Ingredients

800 gpumpkin or butternut squash— peeled weight, in 3 cm chunks
2 tbspolive oil
1 (about 150 g)onion, diced
1carrot, diced
3 clovesgarlic, chopped
30 gfresh ginger, grated
2 tspground cumin
200 gred lentils— weighed dry, rinsed
1.2 lvegetable stock
100 mlcoconut milk— plus a little to swirl on top
1lime— for the finish

How to make it

Heat the oven to 220 °C. Toss the pumpkin with half the olive oil and plenty of salt and roast for 25 minutes until the edges are dark brown. Boiled pumpkin gives you orange water; roasted pumpkin is why this soup tastes of something.
Meanwhile soften the onion and carrot in the rest of the oil in the pot for 8 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and cumin for a minute.
Add the rinsed lentils and the stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the lentils have collapsed. Red lentils need no soaking and fall apart on their own — that is what thickens the soup, so no flour or cream is needed.
Tip in the roasted pumpkin, holding back a few of the darkest pieces for the top, and blend until completely smooth.
Stir in the coconut milk off the heat and season with salt, pepper and the juice of the lime. Serve with the reserved roasted pieces and a last swirl of coconut milk.

Per serving, roughly

Energy: ~370 kcal
Protein: ~14 g
Carbs: ~42 g
Fat: ~13 g

These are estimates calculated from standard ingredient values. Your numbers will shift with the exact products you buy and with how generously you fill the plate — oil, sauces and cheese move them the most.

Variations

Higher protein

Stir 150 g of red split lentils more into the pot and add 300 ml of extra stock. Another 5 g of protein and 35 kcal per portion, and the soup gets thicker — loosen it to taste.

Coach's tip

A light, high-volume meal for a rest day or a first course on a training day. At 14 g of protein it is not a main on its own: pair it with bread and cheese, or keep it as the thing that stops you arriving at dinner starving.

More recipes

Other recipes worth a place in your week.

MealsMinestrone with White BeansA long-cooked soffritto, two tins of cannellini with half of them crushed to thicken the broth, and small pasta cooked in the soup itself. One pot.MealsPumpkin Risotto with Crisp SageHalf the pumpkin melts into the rice and half stays in sweet roasted cubes, finished with Parmesan and sage fried crisp in butter.MealsWarm Puy Lentil Salad with WalnutsLentils dressed while still hot so they drink the mustard vinaigrette, with toasted walnuts, red onion softened in vinegar and a lot of parsley.

General information only, not medical or nutritional advice. If you have a health condition, an allergy, or specific dietary needs, talk to a qualified professional.

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