Spicy Vegan Acorn Squash Soup

This is a delicious vegetarian/vegan stew I made while experimenting one night. It's very low fat and delicious! The squash and yam are very mellow, almost sweet flavors, but the Indian spices (especially the chile powder!) give it some kick. The preparation time is probably exaggerated... I'm just learning to cook, but it is a lot of veggie chopping. It's well worth it, though!

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 248 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ cup dried split peas
• ½ cup dry lentils
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• ½ onion, diced
• 3 ½ cups water, divided
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• ½ teaspoon chile powder
• ½ tablespoon diced fresh ginger
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 dried red chile pepper, crushed
• 2 cups cubed peeled acorn squash
• 2 cups cubed yam

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Rinse and drain split peas and lentils. Place them in a large soup pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric, pepper, chile powder, cinnamon, cumin, crushed red chile, and bay leaves. Stir and let simmer until peas and lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.

Step 2

Stir the remaining 1 1/2 cups water, squash, yam, tomatoes, and onion into the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until squash and yam are tender, about 15 minutes.