Name: Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Lentils
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 1 kg butternut squash (cut widthways into thick slices, seeds removed); 1 onion (roughly chopped); 1/2 celery stalk (roughly chopped); 2 garlic cloves (roughly chopped); 1.5 tsp fresh ginger (finely chopped); 1/2 cup red lentils (rinsed); 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 1.5 tsp coarse sea salt (plus plenty of pepper); 3 tbsp olive oil (plus a little more to drizzle over the squash); 4.5 cups hot water (add a little less for thicker consistency)

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This easy, nutritious vegan creamy butternut squash soup is full of spice, warmth and flavour. Deliciously comforting, it goes down a treat on a cold day.

Today I am sharing a super easy to make recipe for creamy butternut squash soup with lentils. Butternut squash is a delicious autumnal ingredient that adds colour, goodness and lots of deliciousness to any dish and this soup is a great example. It’s rich and creamy, wholesome, filling, full of fibre and bursting with flavour and colour!

How to roast butternut squash

There are various ways of roasting butternut squash. You could first peel and chop it up, then bake the pieces with a little drizzle of oil. I used this method in my turkey dumplings recipe as well as pasta with butternut squash. Another method is to roast it whole until tender. This will, however, take longer than roasting squash pieces (roasting time will depend on the size of your squash). You could also roast halved squash as I have done in festive stuffed butternut squash with quinoa and mushrooms.

For this soup recipe I cut the butternut squash widthways into thick slices, which I then baked until they were tender and lightly browned. It was really easy to peel the slices once they were cooked. This is the fastest method of preparing roasted butternut squash I’ve ever come across.

How to make creamy roasted butternut squash soup: step-by-step

This is a pretty straightforward recipe.

1.Cut the squash widthways into thick slices (7-8). Remove the seeds and place on top of a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season, drizzle over a little oil and roast in a preheated oven (220 C) for 30-40 minutes or until golden and fully cooked. Remove from the oven and peel off the skin. Whilst your butternut squash is roasting away you can get on with preparing the soup.

Round slices of roasted butternut squash on oven tray lined with baking paper.

2. In a large pot heat up the oil, add the bay leaf, chopped garlic, ginger, onion and celery and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring often.

3. Add the lentils, seasoning and spices and continue cooking for 2 more minutes stirring often.

Chopped onions, red lentils, salt and spices in pot with spoon.

4. Pour in about half of the water, stir, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Onion and red lentil mixture with water and spoon in large pot.

5. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf, add the roasted squash and more water (still not all of it).

6. Puree until smooth. Add more water if needed, adjust seasoning and serve!

Creamy squash soup with hand blender in large pot.

Top tips

You can roast the squash in advance and once cooled, peel and refrigerate, covered for up to 2 days.
Spices and herbs: In addition to the spices I’ve used (or instead of) you could add smoked or sweet paprika, cumin and chili into this soup. Scatter freshly chopped cilantro or parsley before serving if you like.
Add the water gradually adjusting the recommended amount to suit your preference.
It is important to remove the soup from the heat before adding in the butternut squash. The squash will have fully cooked in the oven so by cooking it further in the soup some of its rich flavour may be lost.
Serve with toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds with a drizzle of coconut milk or cream. Delicious also with grilled ciabatta bread or croutons.
Freeze individual portions in airtight containers.

Fan of butternut squash? Check out butternut squash coconut curry with chicken and apple.

More easy creamy soup recipes

and

Creamy Spiced Pumpkin Carrot Soup

You might also like this collection of 12 creamy vegan soups!

KEEP IN TOUCH!

How has your easy roasted butternut squash soup turned out for you? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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