Creamy, spiced carrot and red lentils make the perfect warming seasonal soup.
Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword dairy-free, soup
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 4
Ingredients
2–3 tablespoons plus 4 cups water, divided
4cupssliced carrot
1cup chopped onion
1cup chopped celery
1½tbspcurry powder
1-1¼tspsea salt
¼tspground allspice (plus a pinch for garnish)
⅛tspchipotle powder (plus a pinch for garnish)
1cupred lentils, rinsed and drained
1cupcanned coconut milk
3-4tbspfresh lemon or lime juice
4-5 tbspchopped fresh cilantro for serving
Instructions
Pour 2 tablespoons water into a large soup pot and set over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, curry powder, salt (starting with 1 teaspoon), allspice, and chipotle powder. Cook for 7–8minutes, until the onion and carrot have softened, adding more water if the veggies are sticking.
Add the lentils, 4 cups water, and coconut milk and stir. Increase the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the lentils are fully softened.
Add 3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can transfer the soup in batches to a blender and puree. Taste and add extra salt and lemon juice if needed. Divide the soup into bowls and serve sprinkled with cilantro and a pinch of allspice and/or chipotle powder, if desired.
Notes
Chipotle Note: There’s just a small amount of chipotle powder here, so as not to overpower the other flavors. A pinch or two gives a certain “something” in the background, especially if your curry powder is mild. If you don’t want any chipotle powder, feel free to omit. If you want to increase it, do so very modestly. Try another 1/8 teaspoon to start, and then determine if you want more.Greens Boost: Before serving, add several cups of baby spinach and stir until just wilted.