Coconut Curry Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup

This healthy Coconut Curry Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup recipe is a high protein, nutritious soup. It's loaded with immune supporting nutrients that soothes the body and soul. Love lentils? Try my Red Lentil Tomato Soup, and this easy, veggie loaded One Pot Vegan Lentil Soup recipe. 

How To Make a Healthy Soup

As a dietitian and food blogger, I love to take healthy meals to the next level and make them delicious. This healthy curry recipe is the perfect example. It's a great dish the whole family will enjoy. 

And, who doesn't love to sit down to a hot bowl of soup in the winter? Soup makes a healthy dinner and can be such a great way to get healing nutrients from aromatic spices like turmeric powder and cumin. 

Want to make a healthy, delicious soup? With just a few simple ingredients you can make a tasty soup perfect for any healthy diet plan. Follow these tips for best results:

1. Pick your favorite vegetable and go from there. Just about any vegetable can be made into a healthy and delicious soup. Think cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, squash, pea, potato!  The sky is the limit! 
2. Think about ways to add in healthy plant-based proteins. Lentils and beans are great iron-rich sources of protein that you can add to just about any type of soup.
3. Keep it lower in sodium. Soups are notorious for being high in sodium (even homemade soups). Use good quality low sodium broths to help cut back a little (and I say a little because even low sodium broths contain about 400mg of sodium per cup). Substituting water for vegetable or chicken broth and using low sodium soy sauce are other ways to reduce sodium especially in Indian curry recipes.
4. Spice it up! Using flavorful spices like chili, cumin, cinnamon sticks, turmeric and ginger powder are not only great ways to add lots of flavor with immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial for our bodies, especially in the winter. You could also use fresh ginger and turmeric for bolder flavor. If you like spicy food, you could adjust the amount of heat by adding more or less chili powder. Adding a splash of lime juice or lemon juice at the end of cooking, gives soup a fresh burst of flavor.
5. Load up on healthy toppings. Yogurt, avocado, nuts and seeds are healthy additions that add amazing flavor and healthy fatty acids to your soup. Herbs are great for adding flavor without the salt. 

Ingredients and Flavor Profile

For this Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Red Lentil Soup recipe, I sauté the onions, carrots and butternut squash (my fave!) in a red curry paste. Red curry can be a bit spicy. But, you can totally add as much or little of it as you like, thereby adjusting the spiciness. Full fat coconut milk is added in at the end of cooking to produce this glorious creamy texture that works so well with the spices. But, to cut down on saturated fat, you could also use low fat coconut milk.

Easy Way To Cut Butternut Squash

Butternut squash has a tough outer skin making it difficult to cut through. 

You need a very sharp knife to slice off the outer layer. But I have a trick to make your life a bit easier. Simply microwave the squash for about 5 min (flipping it on it's side halfway through). This softens up the skin enough to make the squash much easier to peel and slice! 

If you are short on time and don't want to go through that process, most supermarkets have pre cut butternut squash in packages. However, in my experience the flavor is just not the same as freshly cut. 

Red Lentils in Soup

I love lentils. But, RED lentils in soup I'm really crazy about! YUM! I find them to be a bit sweeter and I love how they soften up and become one with this soup, adding extra protein and making it rich and satisfying. I puree the soup with my immersion blender (an absolute necessity in my kitchen but you can use a regular blender as well, it's just a lot more messy).

To top it off, I add some crushed nuts and a drizzle of coconut milk. Delicious!

​Variations and Storage

This soup could also be served with white rice,  jasmine rice or brown rice, making it a delicious dish for lunch or dinner the next day. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

If you're craving some healthy recipes this winter, or you loved this vegetable curry recipe don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Let me know what soups you're making this winter! 

Leave a comment on the blog and share what you've got cooking!

Want more curry recipes? Try my Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Curry recipe.