This recipe caught my eye on Pinterest for a couple of reasons. One, I love to make soup (which I’m sure I’ve mentioned before) and this time of year is perfect soup-making weather. Two, I could do some freezer cleanout since I had some butternut squash that I froze last season, and earlier this season I froze some chopped carrots and celery (a mirepoix starter). Since I had cooked the start of my mirepoix with some olive oil before freezing it, I decreased the olive oil to 2 Tablespoons. I also decreased the broth to 5 cups since I was using frozen butternut squash, which btw cooked much quicker than fresh squash. I used a leek instead of the white onion and omitted the parsley (didn’t have any).

The results were pretty tasty, and you don’t just have to take my word for it…a friend played the role of guinea pig. Despite being quite skeptical (and telling me it looked like hummus), he gave it an 8 out of 10. So there you have it, an N of 2 who give it 1.75 thumbs up. I don’t think my photo does it justice at all…soup photos are hard.

This can be made vegan by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken stock.

I am not hummus

Shorabit Jarjir (Red Lentil and Squash Soup)
Serves: 6
Source: Saveur via Pinterest

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
1/2 small butternut squash (about 1 pound) peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
Finely chopped parsley, for garnish
Paprika for garnish
Flatbread and lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
1. Heat oil in a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots, celery, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly caramelized, 12-14 minutes.

2. Stir in cumin, chile flakes, squash, salt, and pepper; cook until squash is soft, about 15 minutes.

3. Add stock and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, slightly covered, until lentils are very tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Let soup cool slightly, then, working in batches, puree soup until smooth. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley and paprika. Serve with flatbread and lemon wedges on the side.