Lentil Butternut Squash Soup is a nutritious, comforting soup that sticks to your ribs without any meat or dairy.  It is made with wholesome ingredients and a touch of warm, sweet spices.  Savory, earthy, nutty lentils mixed with sweet, creamy butternut squash and a touch of cinnamon create a splendid soup experience.  Whether you prefer a Crockpot or an Instantpot, it’s very easy to put this satisfying and filling stew together.  This hearty soup is well-balanced, a meal in itself, satisfying all including those who eat a vegan diet.

Growing up in a Persian family, lentils were often a part of our dinner cuisine.  One of our favorite winter layered rice dishes is Lentil and Date Rice | Adas Polo.  Adas polo is another example of mixing earthy lentils flavor with sweet dates and raisins.  Lentils are a super nutritious legume that also makes an appearance in our iconic Persian vegan noodle and bean soup called Aash Reshteh.  In aash reshteh lentils are just one of many beans that can be added to a delicious traditional Persian soup.  Soup in Farsi is translated as aash. 

Lentils are fantastic in any aash or soup!

They instantly add flavor, thickness, plus loads of vitamins and minerals.  My hubby describes thick soups as stews.  Lentil Butternut Squash soup certainly qualifies as a thick and hearty stew.  I often mix different types of lentils in my lentil squash soup for an interesting variety of textures and flavors.  Red lentils are milder and sweeter however keep in mind that they also have thinner skin and therefore break down and incorporate into the soup base. 

Nutritional benefits of lentils:

• healthy, complex carbohydrate
• good source of plant-based protein
• filling dietary fiber
• iron and folic acid/folate

If you prefer a soup where the lentils stay intact, I would recommend using either green or brown lentils.  If you like a thicker stew, try this recipe mixed with red lentils.  Either way, it may be necessary to add extra broth (vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian and vegan) to the leftover soup since it tends to thicken even more with time.   If you choose to keep a denser consistency, use the leftover stew as a sandwich spread or a side dish!

Dry lentils have a long shelf life.  They can be stored for up to 2 to 3 years in a cool and dry place.  

I hope this recipe share has inspired you to make this easy, comforting, and nutritious lentil soup.  It can be prepared in its original form in a Crockpot or made into a thicker stew via an Instant Pot (see recipe notes for adjustments).

For a deep dive into lentils and specifically how to incorporate them into delicious Persian dishes, be sure to listen to our podcast episode #44 – Lentils:

Yield: 6

Lentil Butternut Squash Soup

Print

Lentil Butternut Squash Soup is a nutritious, comforting soup that sticks to your ribs without any meat or dairy.  It is made with wholesome ingredients and a touch of warm, sweet spices.  Savory, earthy, nutty lentils mixed with sweet, creamy butternut squash and a touch of cinnamon create a splendid soup experience.  Whether you prefer a Crockpot or an Instantpot, it's very easy to put this satisfying and filling stew together.  This hearty soup is well-balanced, a meal in itself, satisfying all including those who eat a vegan diet.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 hours

Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 cups organic veggie broth (or 2, 32 ounce cartons)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups lentils (I like to use small green lentils; red lentils are great in this soup as well)
• 4 large carrots, peels and sliced (or about 2 cups baby carrots, sliced)
• 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced (or 1, 10 oz. bag of frozen, chopped butternut squash)
• 2 cloves (or 1 tsp) garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to Crockpot and secure the lid *see notes on Instant Pot conversion
2. Turn timer on High setting for 5 hours (or on Low for about 8 hours)
3. Stir every couple hours if possible
4. Store in fridge for up to 3 days after cooking

Notes

To make this soup in an Instant Pot, add all of the ingredients to the pot and select the Soup setting on the Instant Pot. You may choose to either slow-release or quick-release the steam once the 30 minute time has elapsed. Note that the lentils will be more broken down and incorporated into the base of the soup when cooked in an Instant Pot vs a Crockpot due to the higher temperatures and faster cooking time.

Notes on types of lentils-

Green and brown lentils hold their shape better in soups as they have thicker skin. The flavor is savory and a bit nutty. Red lentils are lovely in this soup. They had a fun, fall orange hue, and are a little sweeter and milder in flavor. Red lentils have thinner skin and break down faster than green or brown lentils. The resulting soup will be thicker as the red lentils become incorporated as part of the soup base.