When I am reading recipes to find something to make, what catches my attention first is the name. If the name is interesting or different or contains an ingredient I like, I read through the ingredient list and the directions. If all of that aligns with my preferences, I’ll save the recipe.

Winter vegetables is what caught my eye with today’s soup. It is definitely the right time to be making dishes with winter vegetables. I was also intrigued with “Mulligatawny”. It was something I had not heard of before reading this recipe.

Turns out, this soup was a staple of British soldiers during the direct rule of the British Crown over its colonial holdings in India from 1858 to 1947. Mulligatawny is an amalgamation of ‘milagu’ (pepper) and ‘tannir’ (water) in the Tamil language. This soup is a bit spicy, a bit sweet, and very satisfying. It incorporates elements of both British & Indian cuisines. It’s a basic curry soup that can include chicken, vegetables, apples, lentils, and coconut milk. It can be served over rice. The important elements to this soup are spice and sweetness.

Below is a vegetarian version that is loaded with winter vegetables and includes the requisite spice from curry and sweetness from the apple. There is no coconut milk in this iteration of the soup and we opted to serve it with warmed naan instead of serving it over rice. We blended about half of the soup to retain some of the chunkiness of the vegetables.

Winter Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup

Winter Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup (adapted from eatingwell.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, Active Time: 25 minutes, Makes: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 pound (about 4 cups) butternut squash, peeled & diced
• 1 medium green apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• naan for serving

Mise en place!

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until it is shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, and parsnip to the oil and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

Start with the onion and carrot.

Add the squash, apple, curry powder, garlic, and ginger to the pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add in the squash, apple, curry powder, garlic, and ginger.

Stir in the broth, tomatoes, and lentils.

Stir in the broth, tomatoes, and lentils.

Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer, then cover and cook until the squash and lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Bring the soup to a boil then simmer it.

Using a wand blender, blend the soup to the desired consistency between smooth and chunky.

Blend the soup . . .

. . . as much or as little as desired.

Garnish the soup with cilantro.

Add the cilantro to the soup.

Serve with naan. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Serve with naan, if desired.

A perfect blend of spice & sweet with winter veggies!  ~Linda

Winter Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup (adapted from eatingwell.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, Active Time: 25 minutes, Makes: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 pound (about 4 cups) butternut squash, peeled & diced
• 1 medium green apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• naan for serving

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until it is shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, and parsnip to the oil and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the squash, apple, curry powder, garlic, and ginger to the pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, and lentils. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer, then cover and cook until the squash and lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Using a wand blender, blend the soup to the desired consistency between smooth and chunky. Garnish the soup with cilantro and serve with naan. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.