Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup (Printable)

Creamy roasted squash and lentil soup spiced with cumin, coriander, and turmeric

# What You’ll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cubed
02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 1 large onion, diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Legumes

05 - 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed

→ Spices

06 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
07 - 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes, optional
11 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Liquids and Oils

12 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
13 - 5 cups vegetable broth

→ Finishing

14 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
15 - Fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Toss butternut squash cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes until golden and tender.
03 - In a large pot, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, sautéing for 5 minutes until softened.
04 - Add minced garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and chili flakes if using. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add rinsed lentils and stir to coat with spiced oil mixture.
06 - Add roasted butternut squash and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until lentils are tender.
07 - Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth, or leave slightly chunky if preferred.
08 - Stir in lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
09 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour because the oven does most of the work while you prep everything else.
  • The spice blend is subtle but transformative—cumin, coriander, turmeric, and a whisper of cinnamon create this warm complexity that tastes far more sophisticated than the ingredient list suggests.
  • It's naturally vegan and gluten-free without any of that usual substitution trickiness that can feel forced.
  • One pot becomes a complete meal when you pair it with crusty bread, and it freezes beautifully for the weeks ahead.
02 -
  • Roasting the squash separately is non-negotiable—it concentrates the sweetness and creates a deeper flavor than boiling it in the broth would ever achieve, making the entire soup taste richer.
  • Blooming the spices for that one minute makes all the difference—I learned this the hard way when I once skipped it and the soup tasted flat, so trust this step even though it seems small.
03 -
  • Toast your spices in oil before adding liquid—this one minute completely changes how alive they taste in the finished soup, making every spoonful feel intentional instead of spiced-by-default.
  • Taste and adjust at the very end—the lemon juice especially needs to be added last so you can balance everything perfectly without having the acid cook off or change how the spices sit on your tongue.
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