Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

I knew I wanted to make this soup as soon as Julie posted the recipe on her blog - I had almost all the ingredients on hand (I only had to go to the store to pick up a sweet potato) and it was nice to use the last bit of a small bag of red lentils on an "invisible" protein, fibre and nutrient boost to a flavourful, creamy soup. (Of course, don't forget the vitamin A and potassium from the sweet potato and carrots!)



    

This soup recipe came together much like most soup recipes - chop up a bunch of vegetables, sauté the aromatics, cover them with broth/water, add some herbs/spices and simmer before pureéing with a monster immersion blender. Julie says any curry paste or powder is fine, and I had some Thai red curry paste kicking in the fridge - I love the distinct aroma of the kaffir lime leaves and galangal. The original recipe also calls for a dairy ingredient like half & half, heavy cream or plain yogurt to be added to the end, but I prefer to omit it so I can really taste the ingredients.

Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot, Lentil and Ginger Soup
Adapted from Dinner with Julie
Makes about 8 cups

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 tbsp ginger, grated
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) red lentils, rinsed, drained and picked through for rocks
  
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
  
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) curry paste or powder
  
• 4 cups (1 L) total low-sodium chicken/vegetable broth and/or water
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) water

1. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onion, garlic and ginger for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add the lentils, sweet potato, carrots, curry paste and broth, along with a cup of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for half an hour until the vegetables are very tender.
   
2. Puree soup using a hand-held immersion blender, or transfer it in batches to a blender and puree until smooth. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt (or sour cream).

Nutrition Info (per ~2 cups): 189 calories, 4 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 29 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre, 5 g sugar), 11 g protein, 632 mg sodium. An excellent source of vitamin A, folate (vitamin B₄), potassium and manganese. A good source of vitamin B₆, iron, zinc and copper.