Making soup without any animal ingredients that is packed with protein can be a struggle for some people. In this recipe you can see how easily it is to bump up the protein content by incorporating simple hacks. And this soup is very hearty, filling, warming, and perfect for lunch or dinner in autumn and winter.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 small red onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 yellow pepper, chopped thumb sized fresh ginger, chopped half medium butternut squash, chopped half cup red lentils 2tbsp nutritional yeast 3tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds 2 cups spinach 2 cups red kidney beans 1tbsp roasted sesame seeds or Everything but the bagel seasoning (my favourite) 1tsp medium curry powder half tsp smoked paprika salt and pepper to taste
I like it with the addition of toasted protein rich Ezekiel bun (13g of protein) topped with avocado and cashew cheese.
Method:
Start with warming the olive oil in a heavy soup pot. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and yellow pepper, and fry them gently until they get soft for about 4 minutes. Add chopped butternut squash and washed lentils, and fry them together with the aromatics for additional 2 minutes. Add the curry powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cover the vegetables with boiled water. Let them cooked on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, so the lentils and squash get soft. At that point add the nutritional yeast. Turn off the heat and blend the soup with the hand blender to your preferred consistency. I like it to be a little bit lumpy. Once the soup is blended, add the spinach and let it wilt. Serve it in the bowl and top it up with red kidney beans (I use them cold, but you can warm them up) and roasted pumpkin and sesame seeds for the additional protein. I serve my soup with Ezekiel buns topped with avocado and cashew cheese.