Name: Vegan Coconut Lentil Soup
Yield: Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients: 1 large onion; 6 garlic cloves; 1 3-inch piece ginger; 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil; 5 teaspoons curry powder; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk; 1 cup split red lentils; ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more; 1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, thawed; 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes; Plain non-dairy or whole-milk yogurt (for serving; optional)

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Photo by Heidi's Bridge, styling by Molly Baz

Never has such a flavorful, hearty, and warming meal come together so quickly or using so many pantry staples. We love it with a dollop of yogurt on top, but feel free to omit or use a non-dairy yogurt to keep it vegan.

What you’ll need

Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Cups
$18 At Bon Appétit Market
Chef's Knife
$49 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Spoon
$24.69 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$90 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$9 At Amazon
Ladle
$10 At Amazon

Recipe information

Yield
Makes about 8 cups

Ingredients

1 large onion

6 garlic cloves

1 3-inch piece ginger

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

5 teaspoons curry powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup split red lentils

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more

1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, thawed

1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Plain non-dairy or whole-milk yogurt (for serving; optional)

Preparation

Step 1
Peel 1 onion and chop. Smash 6 garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife. Peel, then finely chop. Peel 3" piece ginger with a small spoon, then finely chop.
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large Dutch oven over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, just until translucent, 6–8 minutes.
Step 3
Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until garlic is starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Add 5 tsp. curry powder and ½ tsp. cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until spices are aromatic and starting to stick to bottom of pot, about 1 minute.
Step 5
Add 13.5 oz. coconut milk and stir to loosen spices, then stir in 1 cup lentils, ½ cup shredded coconut, 2 tsp. salt, and 5 cups water.
Step 6
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low to keep soup at a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are broken down and soup is thickened, 25–30 minutes.
Step 7
Meanwhile, remove 10 oz. thawed frozen spinach from packaging and squeeze between your hands over sink to remove excess water. Transfer to cutting board and coarsely chop.
Step 8
Add spinach and 15 oz. tomatoes to pot and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt. Simmer just to let flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Taste and season again with more salt.
→ Frozen spinach: A shortcut we can totally get behind.
Step 9
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with yogurt, if desired.