Packed with vitamins A and C, this soup is a must-have as the temperatures take a dip this season.  

To make this a ‘one-pot’ recipe using dry lentils, consider using split masoor (red lentils). The cooking time better matches that for pumpkin and spinach. Further details can be found in the recipe notes.

Gluten-free, plant based, vegan and allium free (no onions or garlic). Omit the chili peppers or substitute with black pepper to make it nightshade free. 

Use pre-cooked, strained lentils and substitute sweet potatoes or use Japanese pumpkin for the pumpkin in this recipe to make it low-FODMAP friendly. Be sure to factor in only 1 serving (1.5 cups) per low-FODMAP person due to the lentils. 

Let’s begin!

Saute the dry red chili pepper, mustard seeds and fenugreek in oil at low-medium heat until fragrant.

Add the ginger, turmeric, chopped green chilis (optional) and dry curry leaves when you hear the seeds start to sizzle and pop. Cook for a minute more until the ginger starts to crisp and turn golden on the edges.

Add the pumpkin, salt and a 1/2 cup of water.

Cover the pot, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Total cook time should be about 8 minutes or less to prevent overcooking the pumpkin. 

Once the pumpkin has softened a little, add the cooked, strained lentils (not uncooked lentils; this is a key step for low-FODMAP individuals), chopped spinach (fresh or frozen), cumin-coriander powder, sugar, salt to taste  and remaining water. 

Give the mixture a stir. 

Cover the pot, return to a simmer and cook for about 5-8 minutes more. This will allow the spinach to cook and for the flavors to come together. 

Once done, add lemon juice to taste and serve as a main course or accompaniment.

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Pumpkin Spinach Dal (Curried Lentil Soup)

Packed with Vitamins A&C, iron and a good source of protein, this soup is a must-have as temperatures dip this season. Easily adapted to nightshade-free and low-FODMAP diets. 

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: allium free, gluten-free, Low FODMAP, no garlic, no onions, nut free, plant-based, soy free, vegan

Servings: 4

Calories: 140kcal

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups chopped spinach (substitute ~2.5 cups frozen)
• 2 cups raw pumpkin*
• 1.5 cups cooked Toor dal, strained*
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• 0.5 tsp brown mustard seeds
• 0.25 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 dry red chili
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 2 curry leaves
• spicy green chilis (optional)
• .5 tsp turmeric
• 0.5 tsp salt (more to taste)
• 1 tsp sugar* (optional)
• 1.5 to 2 tsp ground cumin-coriander powder
• 1-3 tbsp lemon juice (proportionate to the heat of the green chilis)

Instructions

• Saute mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and the dry red chili in cooking oil until fragrant.
• Add ginger, green chilis, turmeric and curry leaves once the seeds begin to sizzle and pop. Cook for another minute until the ginger begins to brown and crisp at the edges.
• Add pumpkin, salt and 1/2 cup of the water. Cover the pot and bring to boil. Cook until the pumpkin has softened a bit. No more than 8 minutes.
• Once softened, add the cooked, strained lentils,* spinach, cumin-coriander powder, salt to taste and remaining water. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5-8 minutes more for the flavors to come together.
• Add lemon juice, remove from heat and serve!

Notes

This recipe can easily be made in an Instant Pot.  Complete the saute steps under the ‘Saute’ setting and then substitute 1 to 1.5 cups dry red lentils (split masoor) for cooked toor, and add 1 more cup of water to the recipe before putting it in the cooker.  Pressure Cook on high for 8 minutes.  Please note the Pressure Cook time and water quantity required will vary with different lentil types.

The salt and lemon juice quantity will vary based on the heat of the chili peppers used. For the nightshade free version, I typically use 1 tsp of salt (total) and 1 tbsp lemon juice. 

Lentils are a high-FODMAP food. Cooking and straining the cooking liquid has been found by Monash University to reduce lentil/legume FODMAP content. Prepared this way, lentils/legumes are thought to be tolerated in limited quantities (1/2 cup serving of cooked, strained lentils/legumes in one sitting). This recipe falls under that limit.

Any orange-fleshed squash or vegetable can generally be substituted for the pumpkin. For those following a Low-FODMAP diet, sweet potato and Japanese pumpkin are considered to be well tolerated.

Sugar brings out additional depth of flavor in this recipe. It can easily be omitted for those on a low sugar or low-FODMAP diet. 

 

 

 

Post updated on 12/16/18 with higher resolution photos and additional recipe notes.