Warm up on a cold night with this Indian Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup recipe! The warming garam masala spice blend, ginger and vegetables make this a comforting, tasty main dish soup. The soup can easily be prepared as a vegan recipe. We’ve got white and red wine pairing suggestions for the soup.
Ingredients
Here are a few notes on the primary ingredients in this soup. Head to the recipe card for the full instructions.
Squash: Of course, the squash is a central ingredient! You can try other winter squashes if you would like. For instance, we have made this with koginut squash one time and that came out well.
Garam masala is an aromatic Indian spice blend that typically has spices like cumin, cinnamon and cardamom.
I would say it is more “flavorful” than it is “spicy”. I would suggest getting a good quality garam masala. We used the Mother’s Kitchen Garam Masala, from a local producer I met a the farmer’s market. You could try using curry powder in equal proportions instead of garam masala, if you like.
Lentils: I used red lentils for this recipe. They are a healthy source of plant based protein and fiber.
You could possibly try yellow or brown lentils in this recipes, but I haven’t tested that yet.
Vegetable broth is called for to make this soup vegan. However, you can also use chicken stock if you aren’t concerned with keeping this vegetarian.
Cream: Note some people like to add either coconut cream or heavy cream (if not doing a vegan prep) to this kind of soup. We thought the consistency had enough thickness and flavor with just the puréed vegetables and lentils; but you could certainly try adding a cream product if you like.
Recipe tips and overview
Below are some recipe tips and a visual overview showing how to make this butternut squash and lentil soup recipe. Head on down to the recipe card for all of the details.
Prep tips
I definitely recommend getting the butternut squash chopped up before you start working on the other steps for the squash and lentil soup. If you are a meal prep fan, you could get the squash prepped up to a day in advance, and store the chopped butternut squash in the fridge.
Start by putting the butternut squash in the microwave for 4 to 5 minutes. This helps make the squash a little easier to cut.
After microwaving the squash, peel the butternut squash.
Then, take a large, sharp knife and carefully cut the squash in half.
Take care to have the cutting board away from the edge of the counter. It takes a bit of force to cut the squash in half! You don’t want the board to slip off the edge.
After cutting the squash in half, scoop the squash seeds out.
I like to use an ice cream scooper for this task!
Then you are ready to chop the butternut squash into pieces of about 1 to 2 inches.
Set the squash aside when you finish chopping.
You can chop and prep the remaining ingredients after the squash or as you go.
Making the squash and lentil soup
With the squash chopped, you are ready to get cooking!
Heat the olive oil on medium low in a large pot. Add the chopped onions and sauté for a few minutes until the onions have started to soften.
Next stir in the carrots, followed by the squash and lentils.
Stir to combine.
Next, add the garlic, minced ginger and garam masala. Cook for about a minute – things should start getting fragrant.
Stir in 4 cups of vegetable broth and one cup of water. Salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat to briefly boil, then lower heat to simmer on medium low.
Let the soup simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes until the veggies are nice and soft.
After the vegetables are softened, it is time to use an immersion blender to purée the soup.
You can leave some chunks of vegetables in tact if you like it that way, or keep puréeing to get a fully creamy texture.
Serve the soup by scooping it into bowls and adding the optional toppings.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can try using other winter squashes instead of butternut in this recipe. For instance, we used koginut squash when we made this one time and it worked well.
Garam masala is a warm, aromatic spice blend commonly used in Indian cooking. It typically includes spices like cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper. The blend adds depth and warmth to dishes, enhancing their flavor.
You can easily prepare this soup as a vegan recipe. Simply omit the optional yogurt topping or use a non-dairy yogurt. Be sure to use vegetable broth or water.
Yes, pre-cut squash can save time. I recommend using pre-cut squash within a few days of purchase; I have found that it doesn’t keep very well after it has been cut.
Naan or garlic bread can go nicely with this soup. We also like it paired with a good glass of wine! That topic is covered in the section below.
Wine pairing
We have had a chance to try this lentil butternut squash soup recipe with both red and white wine pairings. Both can work, but I’d say I preferred the white wines that we tried with the soup.
The 2023 Maison Phillippe Viallet Savoie Blanc ($18, 11.5% ABV) was definitely a hit with the spiced squash and lentil soup! We had that as part of our exploration of Alpine wines for a recent Winophiles event.
This white wine is a blend of Jacquère, Chasselas, Chardonnay and Altesse, a common combination for a Vin de Savoie. On the nose, some honeysuckle notes. On the palate, I got a touch of kiwi, tropical notes and some peach fruit. Notable acidity. An excellent pairing for the soup!
We also paired the soup with the 2023 St. Hilaire D’Ozilhan Cotes du Rhone Prestige Blanc (13.5 % ABV, $10). This white Rhone is a blend of 46% Grenache Blanc, 30% Viognier, 16.5% Clairette and 7.5% Roussane. The wine has a nice floral nose, lemon fruit and good minerality.
I originally paired the first batch of this squash and lentil soup with the 2022 Evolution Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
This is a solid Pinot for a modest price, with light red berry fruit. It works as a pairing for the soup if you are looking for a red wine, but I rated this pairing a bit lower than the white wines.
PrintRecipe card
Indian Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup
The natural sweetness of butternut squash is balanced with garam masala, the flavorful Indian spice blend. Cooked along with lentils for a delicious, healthy vegetarian soup recipe.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: soup
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large or 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped – 4 to 5 cups of squash after chopping (see notes)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth OK if you aren’t focused on keeping this vegetarian)
- 1 cup water
Topping options
- Fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
- a dollop of plain yogurt (optional – omit or use nondairy to make soup vegan)
- croutons (we used garlic herb croutons)
Instructions
- Sauté the base: Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a large pan. Stir in the chopped onions, and lower heat to medium low to sauté. After a few minutes and the onions have begun to soften, add the carrots, followed by the squash and lentils. Stir to combine.
- Add the garlic, ginger and garam masala, stirring to combine. Cook for about 1 minute, the spices and garlic should start to get fragrant.
- Add the liquid: stir in the 4 cups of vegetable broth and one cup of water. Raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat to medium low to simmer uncovered. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer the soup for about 40 minutes until the vegetables are quite soft.
- Purée the soup when the vegetables have softened. Do this by removing the soup pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup (or transfer to a food processor in batches). Depending on your preference, you can fully purée the soup to a consistent texture or leave some bits of the vegetables and lentils. Return the puréed soup to the heat briefly before serving.
- Serve the soup by ladling it into bowls, adding the toppings desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Microwave butternut squash for about 4 minutes to make the peeling and chopping easier.
- One time we made this recipe we used koginut squash instead of butternut, and that worked well.
Cheryl
Delicious. I cheated and threw everything in my slow cooker for about 3.5 hours. Puréed it then enjoyed a bowl with a handful of cilantro and a bit of yogurt stirred in. I toasted a small piece of naan for a side. Easy dinner with leftovers to freeze. Thank you!
Cooking Chat
Glad you liked it! And good to know that it works well in the slow cooker.