Sweet Potato Lentil Pumpkin Soup

A heartwarming, deliciously satisfying comfort in a bowl—a complete meal made in one pot with staples in our pantry and fridge. It happens to be vegan and gluten free and easy to make. To me this is also a third culture recipe, as is most of my cooking.

Our family increasingly wants easy, delicious, nutritious, and preferably one-pot meals. Being able to freeze extra portions is also important. My sons will not make anything complicated or recipes that require a ton of washing up. Getting older, I am also simplifying my cooking without compromising on taste and nutrition.

Being able to cook this way works for us at multiple levels: it saves time, energy, water, and is good for us as well as the environment. It is also economical.

We have come to love pan roasted sweet potatoes and use them in tacos, toss them in grains bowls, heap them on top of a three bean-and-peppers chili, the list goes on. They stay patiently well in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, waiting to be cooked.

There is always a big jar of red lentils in the pantry. Puréed pumpkin, Maesri red Thai curry paste, and coconut milk are all staples. Chaokoh Coconut Milk, made in Thailand, has now spoiled us from using any other brand. I buy it from our Indian grocery store as it is always available and much cheaper than elsewhere—other local stores do not always carry it. And finally, the fridge would be amiss without fresh ginger. Onions only come as needed.

Red Thai curry pastes vary tremendously by brand and Maesri is spicy!! So go with what is best for you.

After a morning in a freezing pool for aqua classes, a hot shower followed by dry warm clothes, and then cradling a bowl of hot soup (with protein, carbs, and vegetables) is an indescribable feeling of comfort, pleasure, and contentment. But I had to be shivering cold getting into the pool (always amusing to people in the pool around me!), wet, tired, and hungry, to experience the ecstasy of being warm, dry, fed, and rested.

I always make a container of this soup for the freezer.

This recipe works well for the Instant Pot as well. Use the sauté function for onions, ginger, curry paste, and sweet potatoes. Then dump everything and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes and natural release.

Pairing

• By itself
• Avocado toast, plain toast, cheese-on-toast
• Pour over brown rice or quinoa as a sauce. You can first wilt some baby spinach, Swiss chard, or baby kale in the hot, bubbling soup.
• Pita, hummus, muhummara (we love Martha Rose Shulman’s recipe in the New York Times), any bean spread.
• As a first course with any meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 packed teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (like Maesri brand), or to taste (freeze or refrigerate the rest)
• 2 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes (two smallish ones, about 1 pound)
• 1 cup thoroughly rinsed red lentils
• 1 16 oz can puréed pumpkin, can also use 1 pound of zucchini/yellow squash/butternut squash
• 1 cup coconut milk (full fat please and Chaokoh, if available); there is not much fat in this recipe (freeze the rest)
• 4 empty pumpkin puree cans of water (see after pureeing how thick or thin you like it—my sons like it really thick like a puree and I like it more soupy and water down my bowl). I often add a fifth can of water after blending. You may need a can less with any of the squashes.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated jaggery, palm sugar, or sugar (prefer turbinado)
• Zest of a lime
• 1 1/2–2 tablespoon lime juice (or to taste)

Method

1. Heat oil and saute onion till soft and beginning to turn color. Add ginger and cook a few seconds (10-15). Add the Thai curry paste. Cook for a minute stirring constantly so it does not burn. If there is not enough fat, add a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk from the 1 cup. The spices must bloom in the fat to develop flavor.
2. Toss in the sweet potatoes, stir till all well coated with the curry paste. Add lentils, pumpkin purée, coconut milk, water, salt jaggery/sugar. Give it all a good stir. Bring to a simmer and then cover and keep on a low simmer on medium low heat. The lentils should be soft and mushy in about 20-25 minutes. Cook till everything is soft.
3. Add lime zest and juice.
4. Blend everything with a stick blender till smooth, Or wait till the soup cools a bit and blend in the blender in batches. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or lime juice if needed. Reheat if necessary and serve hot. Or serve chilled in the summer.

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 25-30 minutes.

Serves 6 and makes about 9 cups.