Soup weather is upon us. This delicious lentil dish is just the thing. The curry seasonings are sure to warm you up on a cold day. It is one of those fall into the comfort food category for me. I took it to a gathering recently and it was gobbled right up, but if you find yourselves with leftovers, it tastes even better the next day.

Today, I wanted soup for lunch but had a coffee date with some friends. I pulled out the crock pot and dumped everything minus the coconut milk and spinach. To make sure it got to cooking right away, I heated the broth and the frozen butternut squash before putting them in the pot. Instead of spinach, I added some kale from my cold weather garden along with the coconut milk at the end. The house smelled so yummy when I got home.

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Curried Lentils with Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, chopped,
• 1 32-ounce carton chicken or vegetable broth or equal amount of water
• 10-ounce package fresh or frozen butternut squash, diced or riced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pinch cayenne
• 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 cup coconut milk, I used light
• 3 cups spinach leaves, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Spritz Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot with spray oil and heat over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, squash, curry powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne.
4. Bring broth to a boil, then adjust heat and simmer until squash begins to soften, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in lentils. cook until lentils begin to fall apart, and vegetables are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
6. Stir in coconut milk and heat through.
7. Add spinach just before serving and allow to wilt.
8. Enjoy!

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Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and needs time to simmer to reach full flavor.

Marge Kennedy

WW Friends: This recipe is 4 points for the WHOLE pot. Yep. So yummy and full of protein. Enjoy!