Butternut Squash Fall Soup with Crispy Beluga Lentils

Bowl of butternut squash soup with black lentils in a white bowl.

Butternut Squash Fall Soup with Crispy Beluga Lentils

5 from 1 vote

This delicious and beautiful fall soup is made with creamy butternut squash, garlic, fall spices and topped with crispy black lentils. It is a simple fiber and protein-packed fall recipe that brings great flavor and fall aesthetic to your table!

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Prep Time:5

Cook Time:50

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butterbut squash recipes, butternut squash soup

Servings:

Calories: 2178kcal

Author: Mollie

Ingredients

2 lbs Butternut squash, or 4 cups cubed or frozen squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ shallot (1 whole bulb)
4 cloves garlic
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Crispy Black Beluga Lentils

¼ cup Black Beluga lentils
1 cup water
½ cup olive oil

Instructions

Crispy Black Beluga Lentils

Soak ¼ cup Black Beluga lentils in 1 cup water overnight or at least 8 hours (no more than 24).
Drain and dry lentils completely on a dish towel.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add ½ cup olive oiland let it heat.
Add lentils and stir gently to make sure they are all in the oil.
Let them sizzle for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They are done when they are light and crisp, not soft or chewy.
Place them on a towel to cool and absorb any extra oil.
Once they are cooled completely set them aside until you are ready to garnish and serve the soup.

Butternut Squash Soup

Preheat oven to 400℉
Cut ½ inch off top and bottom of squash, then cut them vertically so you have 2 long halves.
Remove the seeds and stringy part, then rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Place the squash with the cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, then place the 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 4 cloves garlicand ½ shallot (1 whole bulb) (both NOT peeled) in the little butternut squash "cave".
Roast squash in oven for 45 minutes.
Once squash is cooked, spoon flesh out and put it in a high powered blender. Peel the garlic cloves and shallot and add them to the blender as well, along with the 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)), and ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and 2-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (start with 2).
Blend it on medium high speed for about 2 minutes, until everything is blended and it is smooth and creamy. If you would like it it a little more liquidy, add more stock until you're happy with the consistency.
At this point you can store the soup in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two days until you are ready to serve. When you are ready to serve, pour it into a sauce pan and warm it on medium heat.
Once it has warmed, add the 2 tablespoon butter in and stir until it is melted and combined.
Ladle soup in to bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a tablespoon of crispy black lentils and a teeny sprig of thyme. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Notes:

For a vegan and non-dairy option, swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock, the butter for coconut oil, or olive oil (or no oil at all), and the sour cream for a vegan sour cream, soy, cashew or coconut cream.
Increase the amount of lentils to ½ cup to have leftovers for a high protein snack!
See recipe notes in post for roasting squash cubes instead of halves, or in the microwave instead of the oven.
Roast the squash seeds by tossing with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting in a 325°F oven for 15 minutes, tossing half way through, until they are lightly browned and crisp!
Enjoy! :)

Nutrition