Yesterday was cold.

I had the day off from my clinical job, but I had some other work to do that was going to require some time in front of the computer. Because I had day-off brain, I kept finding things to do instead of sitting down to my to-do-list items. Naturally, one of those things was to make soup.

I was thinking about making red lentil soup from this recipe, but I was also sort of in the mood for chili. So…this happened. Because red lentils cook so quickly, this comes together in no time at all. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner for the wintertime.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, cut into small cubes
• 1 c red lentils, dry
• 4-5 cups water or veggie broth
• 1 24-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
• 3 c spinach, fresh or thawed from frozen

Directions: 

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Cook a few minutes until fragrant and onion begins to turn translucent. Add spices and cook another 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add squash and lentils. Toss well. Cook a few minutes to coat and then add water. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer 10 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and spinach. Simmer another 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy hot topped with a little goat cheese—or, you know, slightly more traditional chili toppings. This would also be great over brown rice or quinoa.

What’s one of your favorite cold-weather weeknight meals?