Spiced Pumpkin and Lentil Soup

A one-pot pumpkin and lentil soup with a more aromatic spice profile than the usual cumin-coriander approach. Onion, carrot, and celery are cooked down with garlic, ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, turmeric, and chili, then simmered with pumpkin purée and red lentils until thick and silky. Coconut milk and lime brighten the finish, and toasted pepitas add crunch.

By Julienne

Cook time: 27 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 20 ml olive oil divided
• 140 g yellow onion small dice
• 100 g carrot small dice
• 70 g celery small dice
• 3 g fine salt divided
• 12 g garlic minced
• 10 g fresh ginger peeled and grated
• 30 g tomato paste
• 6 g garam masala
• 2 g ground turmeric
• 1 g ground chili powder
• 425 g pumpkin purée unsweetened
• 170 g red lentils rinsed and picked over
• 850 ml vegetable stock hot
• 1.5 g black pepper freshly ground
• 4 g fine salt divided
• 200 ml water hot, as needed for texture
• 120 ml coconut milk
• 1 g fine salt divided
• 20 ml lime juice freshly squeezed
• 20 g pepitas toasted
• 5 g cilantro chopped
• 10 ml olive oil divided

Instructions

1. Heat 20 ml of the olive oil in a 5 to 6 L saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with 3 g of the salt and cook, stirring, for 6 to 7 minutes until softened and lightly glossy. The vegetables are softened and fragrant, with no hard raw centers.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato paste, garam masala, turmeric, and chili powder if using. Cook for 45 to 60 seconds until the paste darkens slightly and smells toasted. The spices are aromatic and the tomato paste has deepened in color.
3. Stir in the pumpkin purée, red lentils, vegetable stock, black pepper, and 4 g of the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. The soup is simmering evenly across the surface.
4. Simmer uncovered for 16 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are fully tender and beginning to break down. Add up to 200 ml hot water if the soup becomes too thick before the lentils are done. The lentils are soft with no chalky center and the soup has thickened.
5. Blend about one-third to one-half of the soup with an immersion blender, or puree that amount in a blender and return it to the pot, for a creamy but still textured body. Stir in the coconut milk and the remaining 1 g salt, then simmer 1 minute more. The soup is creamy, thick enough to coat a spoon, and still has visible lentil texture.
6. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust with a little more salt only if needed. Ladle into bowls and top with the toasted pepitas and cilantro if using. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil if you want a richer finish. Finished bowls smell bright from lime, with a creamy surface and crisp seed garnish.