- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 2 teaspoons grated garlic
- 4 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 4 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, non-fat, 2% or whole all work
- Smoked almonds, cilantro, more Greek yogurt and smoked paprika for toppings
- In a large pot over medium heat add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add in the onion and sauté just until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté another 30 secons. Add in the butternut squash, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, turmeric, kosher salt and black pepper. Stir everything together and sauté for another minute.
- Pour in the red lentils and vegetable broth and stir together. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes until the squash and lentils are soft.
- Add the hot soup to a blender and purée until smooth. If your blender won't hold all of the soup, blend it in batches. Be careful not to fill the blender too full when blending hot soup to avoid the lid coming off.
- Once the soup is puréed add the Greek yogurt to the soup in the blender and blend until incorporated and smooth. Serve the soup topped with chopped smoked almonds, cilantro, a drizzle of Greek yogurt and an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika.
