Rosie’s Squash And Lentil Soup

Crown Prince Squash

Squash And Lentils In The Cupboard

This squash and lentil soup recipe is by Penny’s Recipes reader, Rosie. And as you will seem it shows that a soup can be made up of what you happen to have in your cupboards. Be creative! Try things out with flavours you love – and look what you might come up with! Rosie wasn’t feeling too good and I imagine that shopping was the very last thing she wanted to do, especially with such chilly temperatures outside.

The cold weather and feeling a little peaky, made her in need of some nourishing soup. Rosie has called it Orange soup – which represents the colour rather than the ingredients! She has been making use of the availability of Crown Prince squash – but as with all such recipes – a butternut squash will do just as well.

This recipe just goes to show that necessity really is the mother of invention. Follow this recipe – or look in your cupboards to see what delicious soup you can create!

Rosie used red lentils, which would be better than other lentils (green or brown) as they cook quickly – and of course add to the overall orange appearance of the soup! Use whatever herbs and spices you like. This recipe uses thyme but sage os good with squash – or try some rosemary. I fyou only have mixed herbs in the cupbaord – then add a spoonful of that.

A Little chilli powder might be nice, or even some ginger. Go steady on the garlic if it’s not your thing – but isn’t it supposed to help keep away the cold germs?? Or am I getting confused with vampires?

This kind of soup is just what you need on a cold winter’s day. Plenty of warmth and vitamins and substantial enough to fill your tummy.

This is Rosie’s Recipe:–

This weeks Orange Soup recipe (as thrown together by me for sufferer of Real Man Flu and to use squash up. Impressed a guest with the leftovers the next day.)

Serves 4 hungry people

Rosie’s Squash and Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil
• 3 or 4 small onions (or 1-2 large)
• several cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• plenty ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup long grain or basmati rice (white)
• 1/2 roasted squash (crown prince or butternut)
• 700ml vegetable stock
• handful spinach leaves
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Cooking Directions

Roast your Squash

This saves peeling your squash.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C

2. Cut your squash in half (or maybe quarter it if it’s a crown prince)

3. Place in a roasting dish and drizzle with oil

4. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until soft

5. Scoop out the flesh. (You can leave the seeds in too and dispose of after roasting)

Make the Soup

6. Peel and slice onions

7. Heat the oil in a large saucepan

8. Fry the onions until soft,

9. Add pepper, thyme and crushed garlic, stir frequently for a minute or so (I hate burnt garlic)

10. Add the lentils, rice and vegetable stock.

11. Simmer until rice and lentils are soft.

12. Mash up squash roughly with a fork.

13. You may need to add some more water at this point to loosen it as it could be quite thick.

14. Also at this point the soup was very orange so I added some baby spinach leaves to give a few green highlights – just let them sit on the top whilst the squash warms up and they wilt then stir them in.

15. I flavoured it with juice of half a lemon, some chopped fresh majoram (added with the spinach) and a little salt.

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Very yummy and filling.

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