Hearty butternut squash lentil soup

Adapted from  https://www.acouplecooks.com/lentil-and-butternut-squash-soup/

This is the first time I've seen this site, but I'll be going back for more!  I had leeks from HH to use up and wanted a hearty protein-filled soup to feed the family, so this version seemed perfect.  I adjusted their recipe by referring to other lentil soups, and added coriander, bay leaves and switched out the greens for baby spinach.  The butternut squash I was planning to use had already gone bad, so I switched in sweet potato.  The lemon and some salt and pepper are essential to make the flavor sing.

The original blogpost also has videos for preparing a butternut squash and leeks for cooking

---

SCALE

INGREDIENTS

• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 carrots - diced
• 2 large leeks or 1 large yellow onion (or a combination; 1 leek and 1yellow onion works well) 
• 1 medium butternut squash (3 cups diced; use frozen diced as a time saver) or sweet potato - cubed
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale or Swiss chard - or baby spinach - coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 cups vegetable stock (I used 6 cups broth and 2 water)
• 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils
• 1 generous teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 generous teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

---

Directions:

1. Mince the garlic. Peel and chop the carrots into half moons.
2. Chop the leeks: chop off the dark green stems and the bottom roots, then slice each in half length-wise. Place each leek half cut-side down on the cutting board, then chop it into thin half-moons. Rinse thoroughly in a colander to remove any dirt.
3. Chop the butternut squash (watch the video!): Slice off the neck of the squash and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Peel the base. Slice the base in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice the neck into thin rectangles, then into long slices. Turn the slices the other way and dice. Cut the base into thin slices and then dice into small squares. 
4. Wash and chop the kale or spinach (watch the video!). You can also wait to do this step while the soup simmers in Step 6.
5. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil; add the leeks or onions and sauté until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add carrots and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
6. Add the squash/ sweet potato, vegetable broth, lentils, thyme, oregano, coriander, bay leaves and kosher salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils and butternut squash are soft (taste test a few). In the last few minutes, add the chopped chard/ spinach and simmer until tender. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the lemon juice.  Have extra lemon juice at the table and add as desired.