Hooray for easy soups! This Curried Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup is the type of recipe that saves the day—very few ingredients, fast, and really delicious. Oh yeah, and did I mention how incredibly inexpensive it is?? Seriously, just pennies per bowl. It’s also freezer-friendly, super healthy, just happens to be vegan-friendly, and you can have fun customizing the toppings. It basically checks all my boxes! Bookmark this recipe for later because I promise it will become part of your regular rotation.
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Have Fun with the Toppings
I just LOVE any meal where I can add toppings and this soup is the perfect blank slate. Not that it’s not awesome on its own, it’s just that the flavors in this lentil and pumpkin soup are versatile and can handle being paired with all sorts of add-ins. So here are some ideas: go creamy with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream (as I do in my classic pumpkin soup recipe), spice it up with a few red pepper flakes or sriracha, toss in some crunchy pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or croutons, or sprinkle on a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. Or hey, DO THEM ALL. I won’t judge.
Can I Substitute the Pumpkin?
If you don’t have canned pumpkin, you can use about a cup and a half of mashed sweet potato or butternut squash in its place. Just make sure they’re really soft and well-mashed so there is no stringiness in the final soup. Oh, and speaking of that, you can take an immersion blender to the finished soup for a super silky finish if you’d like. Me? I prefer to have a little texture from the lentils.
Can I Use Brown or Green Lentils for Pumpkin Soup?
While you can use a different type of lentil, it will definitely change the outcome of the soup. Red or yellow lentils are best for this soup because of their mild flavor and the fact that they break down quickly when cooked, giving the soup a nice thick consistency (like split pea soup). A brown or green lentil will give the soup a much earthier flavor and have a chunkier texture.
What Kind of Curry Powder Do You Use?
I’m not very picky about curry powder and haven’t come across one yet that I don’t like. I do prefer to use mild curry powder for this soup, that way I can adjust the heat by adding my own cayenne pepper if I want. One brand that I’ve enjoyed is Sharwood’s mild curry powder. Or you can try making your own curry powder using this recipe for Easy Homemade Curry Powder from Spiceitupp.com.
Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup
Servings 6 1.33 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.31)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder ($0.30)
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin purée ($1.05)
- 1 cup dry red lentils ($0.67)
- 6 cups vegetable broth ($0.78)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add the curry powder and continue to sauté for about a minute more.
- Next, add the pumpkin purée, lentils, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot and bring the soup up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Finally, taste the soup and add salt to taste (about ½ tsp). Serve hot with bread for dipping!
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Equipment
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love savory pumpkin recipes? You should also try our Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup, Chipotle Pumpkin Pasta, or Easy Pumpkin Soup.
How to Make Curried Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion, mince two cloves of garlic, and grate about 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger (I use a small-holed cheese grater). Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add one tablespoon curry powder to the sautéed vegetables and continue to sauté for one minute more.
Next add 1 cup uncooked red lentils, 1 15oz. can of pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling), and 6 cups vegetable broth. Stir to combine the ingredients.
Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the soup up to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes the lentils should be broken down and tender, resulting in a thickened soup.
Give the soup a taste and then add salt. Salt is what is really going to make the flavors pot, so don’t skip it! The amount of salt you’ll need will ultimately depend on the salt content of the broth you used, but I added about a ½ teaspoon of salt.
This looks so good!! We love slurping up soups for quick dinners at our house!! I’ll definitely be making this!! :)
Very nice recipe and thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. I will soon try this and post the feedback soon.
So why is it, that just when I think I have my meal plan down for a few weeks, you come up with something and I think…wait! I gotta make that sometime soon! Lol! This looks delicious and it made the list for my upcoming meal plan. Thanks for sharing.
Holy smokes this was delicious! I’d never used pumpkin or curry before, but they went together so nicely in this recipe. I could easily eat two or three bowls of this stuff right now…
I am currently without a kitchen (renovations, yay!) – you think I could just dump it all into a slow cooker? I’d probably use sweet potato or butternut squash since I have those things on hand from my CSA. Thanks!
Yes, this one would probably work very well in a slow cooker. :)
Thanks! Should I decrease the liquid at all, you think?
Nah, I think it will work just fine the way it is. The lid is on for most of the cooking time in this recipe, so it should be really similar to how the slow cooker holds in moisture. :)
So would you recommend not using green or brown lentils then? I have some leftover from making your sloppy joes plus (which was delicious by the way!) and wanted to use what I had left of them…
Correct. Personally, I’d only use the red or yellow lentils for this recipe. They have a less earthy flavor than the green and brown lentils, too, so they blend better with the flavors.
This looks delicious and I happen to have all the ingredients! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks amazing! With Lent coming, I need to start planning meatless meals for Fridays. I might even add a little turmeric for the anti-inflammatory benefits!
Most commercial curry powder is usually at least half tumeric, although blends do vary
I’ve only had lentils in some African cuisines. This is a whole new spin on how to use them. I was scared to try them at first because they don”t look very tasty. When i finally did i enjoyed them very much. I’m sure I will have to head to the store for the ingredients. veganrestaurantsrecipes.com
I’m going to add a can of coconut milk to this! I bet leftovers will freeze great, too.
Did you sprinkle some smoked paprika on top of yours in the pic? Looks great!
Yep, that’s exactly what that is! :) I just needed some color/texture for the photo because the soup isn’t that stunning on it’s own (although the flavor is!). ;)
Oh I’m really excited to try this! I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand, so this recipe is great to keep in mind for those last few days before a grocery shopping trip where you feel like you’re running out of food options.
Thank you for sharing!
I love pantry staples recipes (and pumpkin)! This went right onto next week’s meal plan.
My local grocery store had Tamarind seasoned pumpkin seeds. They will be AWESOME on this!
Woah, that sounds good!
This looks delish! Would it be possible to use the slow cooker?
Yes, I think this one would work very well in a slow cooker. :)