Red lentil and squash soup with za’atar croutons from Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen (page 117) by Yasmin Khan

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Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Can substitute chicken stock for vegetable stock, and coriander leaves for parsley.

  • alycia_1mqv71 on December 21, 2025

    In stead of croutons I served it with za’atar grilled cheese sandwiches

  • XXOOL on December 17, 2025

    Im not a big fan of lentil soup or squash soup but I had a nice winter squash that needed to be eaten. The combination of the two ingredients was great. Nice creamy texture, subtle seasonings. I agree, needs the crunchy croutons for added texture. This will likely be my go to squash soup recipe.

  • jenburkholder on August 13, 2020

    I liked this a lot, but agree it needs the croutons. I also threw in a spoonful of yogurt to give it a bit more tang. My butternut squash was small, so I used part sweet potato and thought that worked well, as it often has more flavor than winter squash.

  • mharriman on June 22, 2020

    We thought this was good but not good enough to repeat. Part of what makes soup appealing (or any food) is its appearance. My red lentils turned yellow as they cooked, and with the squash and herbs, the finished product looked like brown gravy, not the luscious red soup in the photograph. That being said, it tasted fine— just not beyond that. The croutons and fresh parsley topping added to the flavor and appeal, but not enough to give it more than a satisfactory nod at our table.

  • imaluckyducky on November 09, 2019

    A solid 4.5 stars. I've had numerous squash soups and numerous variations of Middle Eastern/North African red lentil soup, so the combination of the two was a lovely match. Not overly sweet, and the cinnamon comes through at the forefront. The soup, however, is memorable because of the za'atar croutons -- it desperately needs the crunch and the herby kick. Freezes and reheats beautifully.

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