Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple, and Red Lentil Soup

• butter↗1⁄4 cup
• large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped↗2
• large carrots, peeled and chopped↗3
• apple, peeled, cored and chopped↗1
• onion, chopped↗1
• red lentil↗1⁄2 cup
• fresh ginger, minced↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• ground black pepper↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• salt↗1 teaspoon
• ground cumin↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• chili powder↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• paprika↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• vegetable broth↗4 cups
• plain yogurt↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.

3. 3

   3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

4. 4

   4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a.

5. 5

   5. simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish.