Thursday, October 23, 2008

Butternut squash with lentil soup

I have heard some people say that they are just not into soups...I have to admit I cannot even imagine not having soup.  I love soups and could happily have them everyday if possible but especially during fall and winter. There is something so satisfying about having hot and hearty soups on cold evenings. 

I have never used butternut squash in my cooking and on my last trip to the grocery store I decided to get some and try it in a soup. I just made this soup up as I went along and added red lentils to make it more filling. I also added some rasam powder to give the soup a kind of Indian touch and liked the taste of the soup. The slight bit of spice and the sweetness of the squash provided an interesting contrast in taste.

For more information about butternut squash and for its other names check here  






Ingredients and method to make Butternut squash with lentil soup.

1 large leek (yielded about 2 1/2 cups of cut leek)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
3 1/2 cups of butternut squash (peeled ,seeded and cut into one inch pieces)
1/2 cup whole red lentils (Masoor dhal )
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp rasam powder ( or 1/2 tsp garam masala or any other curry powder)
salt to taste
4 cups water ( or as required to achieve consistency of choice)


Wash and drain whole lentils and keep aside 

Heat a large heavy bottomed pan and add olive oil to it.

Add cut leek and saute until the leek is transparent.

Add the cut pieces of butternut squash and lentils,all the spices and water and let it simmer until the lentils and butternut pieces are cooked.

Serve hot with crushed pepper on top if you like and have it with bread or cornbread

Serves about 4

Notes:
This soup can be pureed after the squash is cooked and served that way too. The only reason I did not do that was because I wanted to have a chunky type soup this time.

For a variation in taste you could add ground ginger according to taste to this along with the minced garlic too.

Instead of butternut squash you could use pumpkin instead in this soup.
This is my entry into the Original Recipe Event  being hosted by Lore

Since this is a very low fat soup and ideal for people who are on a diet this is also my entry into the Diet Foods event  being hosted by Divya.

This is also my entry into My Legume Love affair being hosted by Sra this month,originally started by Susan

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44 comments :

Maria said...

Ok, that soup looks amazing! Great recipe, thanks for sharing!

anudivya said...

Love the pics... yeah I am one who is not that much into soups, I like it a lot, but don't make it that often. I think there isn't a soup recipe in my blog yet. He he.
But love yours, and if I try a soup, it will be a wholesome one as yours.

anudivya said...

Blogger was down for sometime, now I am able to post comments too. And I am glad the feeds work now.

Priya Suresh said...

Wow Usha...wat a creativity..Soup looks delicious..

Pam said...

I would love a big bowl of this soup right now. Great flavors and a beautiful color.

Unknown said...

nice recipe..great healthy idea for a soup..

CurryLeaf said...

Hearty soup,truly original

Unknown said...

Looks too healthy with the lentils..I like the Indian touch with the rasam powder.

raaji said...

i never made dal with this squash....this is one great version...

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

nice innovative recipe Usha. keep it up.

Vidhya said...

looks really healthy and delicious Usha. Nice entry

Unknown said...

I saw this veggie at the farmers market today - they were selling them for $1.50 each...did not know wht to so with it - so did not buy. Now that i have read this - i will look for this next week.

aTxVegn said...

This is one of my favorite soups. I like it chunky too!

Suganya said...

Nice soup recipe. Love to have it in cold winter with some garlic bread. Sounds healthy too...

Cham said...

The veggie is right in season, Wonderful recipe Usha :)

ST said...

Soup look Scrumptious and healthy Usha :)

Unknown said...

Looks delicious..yummy .. thxs for sahring...

Sia said...

gimme that bowl of goodess now... it's freezing here today as the temp has suddenly dropped to single digit.

VG said...

What a great soup - very fusion. Can't wait to try it.

CurryLeaf said...

If u dont kind,kindly send this for legume affair at Sra's -
http://whenmysoupcamealive.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-legume-love-affair-recipe.html.
Sorry if I am bothering you.

Laavanya said...

I keep trying recipes with butternut squash but the sweetness puts me off. This lentil soup sounds so good and looks so thick and comforting.

Bharti said...

Mmm.....soup for me please! I have a whole butternut squash waiting int he fridge. Thanks for the inspiration.

Recipeswap said...

Such a comforting and healthy soup.I'm from NC too :)

Finla said...

I love soups and this looks deliciously warm soup

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Looks thick and delicious!!

miss v said...

a wonderful fall recipe~ thanks!

mitr_bayarea said...

I love butternut squash...great combo with lentils.

Deepthi Shankar said...

that looks soo delicious N healthy too

Uma said...

Wow, the soup looks so good and nice combo.

Vaishali said...

I don't use leeks as often as I should. This soup looks hearty and delicious, Usha.

sra said...

Rasam powder and butternut squash! :-D

Thanks for the entry.

Priya Suresh said...

Hi Usha..

pls collect hardblogger award from my blog .. u deserve it...

http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/hard-working-food-blogger-award.html

Lore said...

Some people only have soup (and that's usually chicken soup) when they catch a cold or something. I'm more like you, soup means comfort to me, it has some kind of a homey filling attached to it. Yours looks delicious and filling. Thanks for sharing it with the Original Recipes Round-Up :)

Adlak's tiny world said...

supuerb and healthy soup. colorful and beautifuly presented usha.

Jaya M said...

This looks so delicious and Just Give me any time but with minus Leeks LOL..
great comfort food for a rainy day like today ..
hugs and smiles

Prema Sundar said...

soup sounds really interesting .. dal , squash..looks healthy too. nice one Usha.

Unknown said...

Wow..U r turning out to be a healthy blogger :)..so many healthy alternatives...This is really a yummy soup...Wish u n ur family a very happy diwali

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Your soup sounds delicious and very filling. I have a fondness for squash soups :)

Uma said...

Wishing you and your family a happy diwali!

Gita Jaishankar said...

Love the idea of using rasam powder in soup. The photo looks awesome :)

Unknown said...

Lovely recipe Usha, i use always butternut, I love the creamy texture.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

Wish you a very Happy Diwali!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Happy Diwali and to admit I just like the thought of having SqUASH in everything I once tried it with rice too... With Lentils thats inspiring...

Sheetal Kiran said...

The butternut squash-lentil soup sounds absolutely delicious and heart warming, Usha! Love the use of the red lentils especially, I quite like the taste of lentils in my soup ... just perfect for this cold weather!

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