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Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat with broth. Place the butternut squash, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the fennel are translucent, about 10 minutes.
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Stir in the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
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if you want, you can just stop here and eat it. It’s yummy.
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Or, you can pour the soup (in batches) into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
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Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency.
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Serve with yogurt and pumpkin seeds for garnish.