Bailey’s Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Bailey here! I don’t know about you, but I’m finding the shift to cooler weather bittersweet. I’m thankful to see the end of another summer of blistering heat and wildfire threats, but I’m not quite ready for the long nights and cold temperatures.

Here in Nova Scotia the weather turned on a dime about a week ago and it’s been windy, rainy, and chilly. I’ve also been hit with the first cold of the season and my kids have only been back in school for three days. That has to be a new record!

But the silver lining to all of this is that it’s finally soup season again. This past long weekend I took some time to make a big batch of my favourite soup to keep us going on the busy and chilly fall evenings ahead.

It’s rich without being heavy, packed with protein and fibre, and at less than $1.50 /serving it goes a long way to helping my family stay within budget at a time when grocery prices are soaring.

Check out my Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup at the link below and let me know what you think. I’m always looking for new soup recipes, so please hit reply to this email and share your favourites!

Bonus: I love to use these Canadian-made freezer cubes to store individual portions. They stack well in the freezer and you can just reheat as many as you want to eat and leave the rest for another time.

Bailey’s Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

A hearty, warming soup made with sweet potatoes, lentils, coconut milk, ginger, and curry spices. This version is mild enough for kids, but you can easily add some heat.

Ingredients (~10 servings as a main)

• 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1½ cups red lentils, rinsed well
• 1 can coconut milk
• Olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 thumb-sized knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1–2 teaspoons garam masala
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Chicken or vegetable stock
  • Instant Pot: about 4-5 cups
  • Stovetop: about 6-7 cups, plus more as needed to reach your desired consistency

Optional for heat: Add chopped fresh chilies with the garlic and ginger, or add chili powder or cayenne with the other spices.

The spice amounts are a starting point. Curry powders vary quite a bit, so feel free to use more or less of any of the spices to suit your taste.

Instant pot method (my most used!)

1. Sauté the garlic and ginger: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the olive oil, then the ginger and garlic. Cook for about 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. If using fresh chilies, add them here too.
2. Bloom the spices: Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and a little salt. Stir into the oil and cook for about 30 seconds, just until the spices become fragrant. Don’t let them burn.
3. Deglaze: Pour in about ½ cup of the stock and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen anything that has stuck.
4. Add the sweet potatoes and lentils: Add the chopped sweet potatoes and rinsed lentils. Stir everything together so they’re coated in the spice mixture.
5. Add the liquid: Pour in the remaining stock. You want enough liquid for the soup to cook without making it too thin, since very little liquid evaporates in the Instant Pot.
6. Pressure cook: Secure the lid and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes, then carefully release the remaining pressure.
7. Add the coconut milk: Stir in the full can of coconut milk.
8. Blend: Use an immersion blender (or stand blender – but wait for it to cool a bit before if using this) to blend the soup until completely smooth and creamy. If it’s thicker than you’d like, add a little more stock or water until it reaches your preferred consistency.
9. Taste and adjust: Add more salt, garam masala, curry powder, or other spices as needed.

Stovetop method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes. Add fresh chilies here if you’re using them.
2. Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and a little salt. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds to release the flavour of the spices.
3. Add about ½ cup of stock and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze it.
4. Add the sweet potatoes and rinsed lentils. Stir well to coat them in the spice mixture.
5. Add about 6 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
6. Cover partially and simmer for about 25–35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes and lentils are very soft. Add a little more stock or water during cooking if the soup becomes too thick.
7. Stir in the coconut milk and let everything warm through for another few minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
9. Taste and adjust the salt and spices. Add additional stock if you’d like a thinner soup – we like ours nice and thick.

Notes

This soup is pretty forgiving. The spice measurements don’t need to be exact. If you love curry flavour, add more curry powder or garam masala. If you’re cooking for kids who prefer milder flavours (like one of mine), start with less and add more after blending.

For a spicy version, chopped chilies can go in with the ginger and garlic, or you can add chili powder, cayenne, or chili flakes with the dried spices. 

The soup also thickens quite a bit as it sits because of the lentils, so leftovers may need a splash of stock or water when reheating.

Please let me know if you make this recipe and what you think! I’d also love to know your favourite soup recipes. You can share them at bailey @ myclimateplan.com