Red lentil & squash soup with za’atar

Have you tried za’atar, yet? If not, I hope you’ll give it a whirl. It’s a wonderful Middle Eastern spice blend combining wild thyme, sumac, sea salt, and sesame seeds. I find it make all things that much better.

I’m so obsessed with it that my brother misunderstood my request and brought me back 12 jars from Ottolenghi in London.

I modified this soup to make it gluten-free and instead of making za’atar croutons simply whisk it into the bowl.

Red lentil and squash soup with za’atar (Adapted from Zaitoun by Yasmin Khan)
serves 4-6

1 2 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup red lentils
3 cups chicken stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley or cilantro, to garnish
za’atar, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400’. Toss butternut squash with olive oil and sea salt and set to cook for 20-30 minutes until soft.

In a medium-large soup pot, heat 3 TBS of oil over medium heat. Saute onions for about 10 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add spices and fry a couple more minutes. Then, add lentils along with 1 quart of boiling water. Cover and let cook on a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.

Once the lentils are soft, add squash, lemon juice, stock, 1 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Cover and leave to simmer another 10-15 minutes. You want everything to be soft.

Take pan off heat and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt or lemon juice if you think it needs it. Serve garnished with a sprinkling of za’atar and chopped herbs.