Pumpkin and red lentil soup

This creamy pumpkin and red lentil soup really embodies the essence of autumn. It’s warm, comforting and deeply satisfying. The harmonious blend of flavours and creamy texture make it a seasonal favourite. It’s perfect as a hearty main course with some crusty bread or as the first course of an autumn-themed meal. This is a soup that I make again and again at this time of the year because it’s simply delicious, as well as filling and nutritious!

It’s really quick and easy to make, with very little hands-on time involved – just a few minutes to roughly chop the vegetables and blend the soup at the end. Pumpkin and red split lentils are simmered in vegetable broth, with onion, celery, and wakame algae. Soy sauce gives it wonderful umami undertones, and the Madras curry powder makes it delicately warm and spicy.

Try making this pumpkin and red lentil soup today – I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it!

About this recipe

This is basically a recipe that a friend of mine gave me many years ago. It was a photocopy taken from an Italian food magazine, and the author of the recipe was an Italian guy. I feel a bit of an imposter posting this recipe without giving the guy credit for it, but once I wrote the recipe on my computer, I threw the sheet of paper away, so now I have no way of finding out his name.

I’ve always loved this soup, the flavourings are quite unique, the method of making it very simple, and it’s very filling and nutritious. Over the years, I’ve never changed anything in the original recipe, except for substituting chicken broth with vegetable broth and replacing dairy cream with coconut milk. So I guess you could say I veganised it, at least, if nothing else.

Some of the photos in this post feature pumpkin and red lentil soup made with Potimarron squash (aka Hokkaido or Kuri). These are the ones with the more intense colour. The paler ones are made with zucca trombetta di Albenga. More about this below.

This recipe for pumpkin and red lentil soup is light and healthy but, at the same time filling enough to serve as a main course. It’s packed with nutrients, delicious and satisfying. Oh, and let’s not forget that it’s also seasonal and budget-friendly! What more could you want?!

How to make pumpkin and red lentil soup

Ingredients

You’ll find the exact quantities of each ingredient in the recipe card at the end of this blog post.

Pumpkin

The original recipe called for Potimarron pumpkin, which is a Japanese variety also known as Uchiki Kuri Squash, Hokkaido, or red Kuri squash. Potimarron has bright orange flesh,

I always use whatever kind of pumpkin I happen to have growing in the garden. This soup is delicious with every kind of pumpkin I’ve tried. Use what you have or what you like best. This time I used zucca trombetta di Albenga, an Italian variety that’s native to Liguria. The flesh is much lighter than that of Potimarron squash, hence the paler-coloured soup in some of the photos on this page. Made with Potimarron, this recipe will give you a brighter, deeper orange soup. At the end of the day, it’s the taste that matters most and any kind of pumpkin will do for that.

Red split lentils

Lentils add to the nutrient profile of this pumpkin soup, providing protein, fibre and minerals, in particular iron. Red split lentils (the bright orange ones) are best for this recipe because they break down quickly and take the same length of time to cook as the other ingredients in the recipe. If you use a different variety, you’ll need to precook them (or use tinned).

Oil

Use extra virgin olive oil if you have it. Or you can leave the oil out completely for a healthier variation with no sautéeing involved. Just skip the first step of the instructions below and put the onion, celery, red lentils, water and stock powder together in the pan. Then proceed with the recipe. There is absolutely no difference in taste, with or without the oil. You can always add a drizzling of raw oil once the soup is in the bowl, which is healthier.

Onion

The original recipe just said cipolla (onion). Again, I use what I have on hand – usually yellow onion.

Celery

Use a stick of fresh celery, or chopped frozen celery is also fine.

Vegetable broth

I use my homemade vegetable broth (recipe here), or organic stock powder if I run out. I prefer powder to cubes because it doesn’t contain fats. You’ll need approximately one litre of vegetable broth, depending on the kind of pumpkin you use. Start off with 700 ml. You can always add more during the cooking or after blending if the soup is too thick.

Wakame algae

This pumpkin and red lentil soup recipe calls for a heaped teaspoon of dried wakame algae. Wakame adds a cocktail of healthy vitamins and minerals, in addition to enhancing the taste and texture. This nutritious algae is low in calories but has multiple potential health benefits, including improved heart health and enhanced weight loss. In addition, it is believed to lower cholesterol levels and decrease blood pressure. Read more about the health benefits of wakame algae here.

Hot Madras curry powder

Half a teaspoon of hot Madras curry powder is perfect here. Don’t go adding more, it’s not an Indian curry! Too much, and you’ll end up masking the more delicate flavours of saffron and wakame. But a small amount confers wonderful, warm spicy undertones to this soup. If you don’t have hot Madras, you can use a different kind of curry powder. Adjust the amount to your taste.

Saffron

A pinch of dried saffron is all you need, and it doesn’t matter if it’s in strands (threads) or powder form because the soup will be blended in the end.

Tamari soy sauce

The role of soy sauce in the soup is to add depth and umami notes, creating a more complex and savoury flavour, making it more than just a blend of sweet pumpkin and earthy red lentils. If you can, use organic Tamari. Standard soy sauce is typically made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and water. Tamari, on the other hand, is usually made with little to no wheat. It is primarily composed of soybeans, salt, and water and undergoes a proper natural fermentation process, resulting in a more balanced flavour profile.

Coconut milk

You’ll need unsweetened tinned coconut milk (the kind used for cooking). I wouldn’t consider using anything other than coconut milk because it compliments the other flavours in the soup so well. If you really don’t want to use coconut milk, just omit it. I don’t recommend substituting it with anything else. Soya cream is usually sweetened, and I’m not a fan of the flavour at all (or the ingredient list).

Instructions

• Peel the pumpkin and cut it into chunks.
• Rinse the red lentils.
• Put the oil in a pan together with the roughly chopped onion and celery. Put a lid on and sweat without colour over medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Add the vegetable broth, lentils, and wakame. Stir and bring to the boil. Simmer with a lid on over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.
• When the pumpkin is soft, add the saffron and curry powder and blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add a bit more vegetable broth if the soup is too thick. Return to the heat if necessary.
• Just before serving, add the Tamari and coconut milk and swirl into the soup. Reserve a little of each for garnish.
• Ladle your pumpkin and red lentil soup into bowls and garnish by swirling in a little tamari and coconut milk. Decorate with pumpkin seeds and/or sunflower seeds and serve immediately.

How to serve pumpkin and red lentil soup

Serve as a hearty main course with some fresh crusty bread or sourdough bread. The lentils make it filling enough to be a complete meal in itself.

Alternatively, you could serve it as the first course of an autumn-themed meal.

Garnish it with something like roasted bread croutons, pumpkin seeds or a seed mix. For the mix, I used sunflower, pumpkin, flax, sesame and poppy seeds.

The last time I made it, we had pumpkin and red lentil soup as the first course, followed by pan-roasted chestnuts. Simple but satisfying and full of autumn flavours!

Once, I had some pumpkin and red lentil soup left over from the day before. I decided to make some onion bhajis to serve afterwards. That was a huge hit! This pumpkin soup and onion bhajis complement each other perfectly because both are delicately infused with Indian spices. You can even dip the bhajis in the soup – delicious!

If you make it and love it as much as we do, let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you!

How to store pumpkin and red lentil soup

Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for 3 – 4 days.

Alternatively, you can freeze it. Simply pour it into a container suitable for freezing, and it will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

If you liked this recipe for pumpkin and red lentil soup, it would be great if you could give it a star rating and leave a comment below! It helps other readers find my content and posts and ultimately makes my blog more successful! Thanks so much for your support! Deborah xx

While you’re here on Vegan Hot Stuff, maybe you’d like to take a look at some other popular autumn recipes…

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