It’s not exactly soup weather here in the Midwest. Just last week we set a new record high with 92º! But when you have a butternut squash, carrots, and chickpeas that you need to use up Moroccan Lentil Soup begs to be made no matter the weather.
The Butternut Squash Saga
I get a lot of comments from my readers who seem to think I have it all together. Haha! Ya’ll, I was nearly bested by a butternut squash.
I have been faithfully meal planning every week for quite a while now. And while it has helped me stay on budget, without fail there are meals I never end up making. Whether I had a long day at work and don’t feel like cooking, or the recipe just isn’t what we are in the mood for, I always have extra ingredients I don’t use. I love butternut squash, but let’s get real. It is a pain in the drain to peel and dice. Even though it has a really long shelf life, I have thrown more than one squishy squash away because I didn’t get to it in time.
Last week I had a butternut squash that was close to it’s expiration date. I decided to tackle it head on, so I peeled and diced it and put it in the fridge so it would be convenient to add to a recipe. And there it sat.
Moroccan Lentil Soup
I always clean out my fridge as I am making my grocery list so I can see what I have and toss anything that needs to go. That squash sat on the shelf, taunting me. I grabbed it, along with a few squishy potatoes, some baby carrots and chickpeas that needed to be used up, and tossed it into my Instant Pot. I always buy lentils thinking I can make such frugal meals with them, then never use them. So some lentils got dumped in the pot, too! I discovered I didn’t have vegetable broth (my usual soup base) so I dumped in some water and seasoning and hoped for the best.
It turned out SO good! Whether it’s soup season or not, my family inhaled this and has already requested that it be on the menu again soon. Since I was on a roll with this frugal dinner thing, I even whipped up a homemade baguette to serve alongside the Moroccan Lentil Soup.
Cost Breakdown
The chickpeas were cooked from dry beans, so the most expensive ingredient in this soup was the squash, which I got for $2.19. That means this entire pot of soup, which has about 10 servings, cost about $3.50. 35¢ per serving? Yes please!
Recipe Notes
Garam Masala is one of my favorite spices and if you haven’t tried it, you must! It’s great for Indian dishes as well. Also, if that seems like a LOT of salt, keep in mind that you are throwing a lot of unseasoned veggies into water.
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- 3 small potatoes, peeled and diced
- 8 baby carrots, chopped
- 1 C cooked chickpeas
- 1 C lentils
- 6 Cups water
- 3 t Garam Masala
- 1 T salt
- 1 t cumin
- Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on manual for 20 minutes. Natural pressure release after 10 minutes.
Here is a video with the steps.
Shane says
Are the lentils dry or cooked
Melissa says
Dry. They cook in the instant pot.