Lentil Soup

Mildly spicy lentil soup recipe makes a warming meal on a cold day.

Rich with flavour and texture, this lentil soup is a hearty meal that will fill the hungriest of tummies. With a balance of spiciness and sweetness thanks to the combination of chili paste, sweet potato, and butternut squash, and a savoury touch of tomato, the melding of flavours is quite satisfying.

This recipe uses red lentils as they cook a bit faster than their green counterparts, but yellow lentils will also work. Lentils are also an economical way to add thickness, or "meat" to any soup or stew.

This soup is gluten-free, dairy-free, and completely vegan.

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Ingredients

(Makes 4 servings)

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 sweet onion, diced

• 1 red sweet bell pepper, deseeded, diced

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 2 teaspoon red chili paste

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed

• 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

• 1 cup red lentils

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

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Directions

In a 4-quart soup pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté until it starts to soften and become translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the red bell pepper, spices, salt, and ground black pepper, then sauté for another 3 or 4 minutes to soften the bell pepper. Add the tomato paste and red chili paste then mix well. Add the cubed sweet potato and squash then mix well and continue sautéing for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the vegetable stock and lentils, mix well then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes until the lentils are soft and the sweet potato is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro (optional) .

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Nutritional Information Per Serving:

total calories = 208 | total fat = 4.16g | saturated fat = 0.65g | cholesterol = 0mg | sodium = 1439.79mg | net carbohydrates = 29.05g | dietary fibre = 8.2g | sugars = 13.46g | protein = 7.7g