I call this my “Healing Soup,” and it never fails to make me feel better, with each bowl bringing a warm, soothing feeling. I’ve been regularly making a version of this for the last five years since receiving my endometriosis diagnosis. It’s packed with nourishing ingredients, chosen to help me feel better when I need an extra boost. There is nothing fancy here; I add all the ingredients to one pot at the same time (but there’s also the option to sauté the veggies briefly), as sometimes we need to take minimal steps to conserve our energy as much as possible. However, it always turns out incredibly creamy, comforting, and flavourful, exactly what I need! It’s freezer-friendly, so perfect to make a big batch, and save a couple of servings for later, as what I call one of my “emergency meals” when I’m too tired to cook, but want something that will make me feel good.
And it’s not reserved for my endo friends out there because it’s absolutely delicious, and its ingredients are perfect for any time we’re feeling a bit under the weather or want a warming hug in a bowl.
Why I Love This Recipe (As a Nutritionist)
- Simple to make: Everything goes into one pot, saving energy and time.
- Nutrient-rich: Loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber while being easy to digest. Upping fiber slowly and gradually is great to improve digestion, and being regular, which in turns helps remove excess oestrogen from the body.
- Digestive aid: Ingredients like ginger and turmeric help with digestion and inflammation.
- Meal-prep and freezer-friendly: Ideal for preparing ahead and storing for later use. Your future self will thank you! Keep 5 days in the fridge, and 3 months in the freezer.
Ingredient Notes
- Ginger: Ginger has antioxidant properties, aids digestion, and is especially helpful for nausea and bloating. Plus, it tastes absolutely delicious!
- Turmeric: A well-known spice for its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is excellent to consume on a regular basis. Its active compound, curcumin, is not well absorbed on its own, and it needs to be paired with piperine from black pepper, so make sure you don’t skip the black pepper at the end of the soup!
- Carrots: Delicious and budget-friendly, carrots provide vitamins A and C to support the immune system.
- Butternut Squash: Packed with fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, and antioxidants like carotenoids. It’s easy to digest and brings a delicious sweetness to the soup.
- Red Lentils: Red Lentils are the soup’s main source of protein. They are also rich in fiber and are favored as the quickest legume to cook and the easiest to digest. Lentils are also a good source of magnesium, zinc, and iron.
- Cashews: Rich in magnesium and tryptophan, which can help with sleep. Not only do they give the soup its luscious creaminess, but the healthy fats help absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and are crucial to making the most of the nutrients in this soup. If you wish to sub or skip the cashews, make sure to use alternative nuts or seeds or a drizzle of olive oil to help with vitamin absorption.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Rinse the red lentils under cold water and soak overnight with the cashews if desired. Add all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to a soft boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Blend the soup until smooth, then stir in lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Enjoy with your favorite toppings for added texture and flavor.
Variations and Tips
- Rough Chopping: As we are blending everything, I just roughly chop all ingredients and don’t bother mincing the garlic and ginger.
- Meal Pairing: Although loaded with nutrients, his soup is too low in calories and protein to be a satisfying meal on its own. I recommend pairing it with a couple of slices of our gluten-free buckwheat bread topped with edamame and avocado, some crispy lentils, or adding some tofu croutons and greens on the side. I also love to sprinkle my gluten-free Savory Granola, for flavors and extra minerals!
- Storing Leftovers: Leftovers last 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. It’s great to freeze a couple of individual portions for those days you just don’t feel like cooking. I like to reheat the soup on the stove for a more evenly heated result, but if you want to skip the extra dishes, storing it in microwave-friendly individual glass bowls is a great tip. Reheat for longer on a lower heat setting, and place a small plate at the top of the bowl to prevent splashing your microwave with soup (because that’s the kind of extra cleaning we don’t need!).
- Nut-Free Options: Use sunflower seeds instead of cashews.
- Naturally Gluten-Free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
- Chilli: If you can digest it, adding a red chilli adds a nice kick.
- Tea for Digestion and Nausea: If you need an extra boost to help with digestion and nausea, I highly recommend making ginger and fennel tea. Just chop some ginger root and brew it along with some fennel seeds; it always helps me feel better straight away!
- Removing Turmeric Stains from The Blender: If your blender is stained with turmeric, place it outside in the sun for a couple of hours; the stain will magically disappear!
- If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our Marry Me Chickpea Soup, or Curried Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup.
Why You’ll Love This Healing Butternut Squash Soup
- Comforting
- Nourishing
- Easy
- Delicious
- Healing
FAQ
Yes, it freezes well for up to 3 months.
Yes, it’s naturally gluten-free.
Absolutely, sunflower seeds are a great nut-free alternative. If you choose to skip the nuts and seeds completely, be sure to incorporate another source of fat, such as olive oil, to avoid missing out on the fat-soluble vitamins the soup contains.
Consider adding tofu croutons, or crispy lentils, and serving with protein-rich bread.
Yes, it’s perfect for meal prep and stores well in the fridge or freezer.
Healing Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180 g) split red lentils
- ⅓ cup (45 g) cashews
- 1 leek - white and light green part only, chopped and washed
- 3 garlic cloves - roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp (20 g) fresh ginger - peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tsp (4 g) ground turmeric
- 2 tsp (4 g) ground cumin
- 3.5 cups (450 g) carrots - peeled and chopped – 1 lb
- 5 cups (650 g) butternut squash - peeled and cubed – 1.4 lb
- 8 cups (1.9 L) low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- ½ tbsp (8 ml) maple syrup - optional
- sea salt flakes to taste - see notes
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Topping Ideas
- fresh herbs - such as cilantro or parsley
- dairy-free yogurt
- toasted nuts and seeds
- broccoli sprouts
Instructions
- Rinse the red lentils thoroughly under cold water. Optionally, soak the lentils and cashews in cold water overnight. Once soaked, drain the water and rinse again. Although not necessary, this step will increase the bioavailability of certain nutrients.
- In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the leek, and cook for 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Then add the carrots, butternut squash, lentils, cashews, and vegetable stock. Bring to a soft boil, then reduce the heat, cover partially, and cook for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables have softened. Turn off the heat.
- Blend the soup until perfectly smooth. If using a stand blender, it's recommended to allow it to cool down before blending.
- Stir in the lemon juice and maple syrup if using. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Does it have to be “split red lentils” specifically? Bc I have a bag of just “red lentils”…
Hi Sven, red lentils will work too; it will just extend the cooking time. Make sure the lentils are completely cooked and mushy before blending. Soaking them in water before cooking will also help to speed things up. Hope you love it!
This soup has got me through the autumn so far. Thank you so much. I love your recipes.
I’m glad it’s helping Rebecca, thank you for sharing 💚
Hey! Heads up that the leek isn’t mentioned in step 2, so I didn’t realize that was missing from my soup until it was already made. Can you add that to the instructions for future readers to know when to add the leek? Thank you!
Hi Melissa, thank you so much for pointing that out! It’s been fixed now, and I’m sorry for the mistake, I hope you still enjoyed your soup 💚
I made this recipe but stir frying first the spices with butter then adding up all ingredients to boil.
It was good and healthy. The lemon is a nice touch at the end.
Hey Yam, I’m very happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Can you add coconut milk to make it creamier?
Hey Lisa, yes great idea, I think it would be delicious!
When you say 1 red chili, do you mean a spicy chili? If so, what would be a substitute?
Hey Valerie, yes red chili are quite spicy, you can skip it if you prefer 🙂
I can’t see how many servings this recipe makes. Can you help?
It makes 6 servings (noted just above the ingredient list), hope you’ll love it 💚
Greetings from the Pacific Northwest (Bainbridge Island). We made your soup tonight and it was delicious. We followed the recipe exactly, tasted the soup and concluded that it was very good but missing something. I peeled and cored an apple, diced it up and sautéed it to caramelize it a bit then blended it into the soup.. Just what it needed, just a little more sweetness. Wonderful and very satisfying on a cool, rainy spring evening.
Hey Christopher, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the soup, and found a way to adjust it to your preferences. The caramelized apple is a very clever way to add sweetness to a dish, and I’ll be sure to give it a go myself 🙂