Roasted Pumpkin Lentil Soup with Pomegranate Molasses

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small-medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup split red lentils, sorted and washed

1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and ground

1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

1 liter vegetable broth

2/3 cup mashed roasted pumpkin

1 large roasted bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

handful of chopped cilantro

pomegranate molasses, for serving

Heat oil in 3-liter pot and saute onion until just beginning to turn golden. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add lentils, cumin, coriander, cayenne and broth. Simmer until lentils are soft and broken down, about 15 minutes.

Add pumpkin and bell peppers and heat through, mixing well to incorporate the pumpkin. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Adjust flavors if needed.  The soup thickens upon standing and can be thinned, if desired, with a small amount of water or broth.

When serving, drizzle a half to full teaspoon of pomegranate molasses over each bowl of soup. Pomegranate juice reduced to a syrupy consistency may be used in place of the pomegranate molasses.

This recipes makes enough for 4 servings.

Roasting Pumpkin and Peppers

I used leftover pumpkin and peppers that were previously roasted and frozen, but if you don't have either on hand, here's all you have to do to prepare them.

For the pumpkin:

Cut pumpkin and remove seeds. Peel and chop into 1” chunks. Place pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer and toss with just enough olive oil to lightly coat.  Roast at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Turn pumpkin pieces over and roast additional 15-20 minutes, or until browned and tender. Extra pumpkin can be mashed and frozen to use as desired.

For the peppers:

There are many ways to roast peppers, but here's how I like to do it. Place bell peppers on a baking tray and broil, turning the peppers frequently, until blistered and blackened on all sides. Remove tray from oven.  Flip a clean tray over top to create a cover. (Or, transfer peppers to a heatproof bowl and cover with a plate.) Allow to sit 10-15 minutes then peel and discard skins, stems and seeds. For convenience, I like to roast more peppers than I'll need and store extras in the freezer to use as needed.