Three Sisters Soup with Faba Beans

As a spin on the traditional Three Sisters Soup, we’ve added faba beans and red split lentils to this hearty, nutrient-dense soup from our Alberta Pulses from Coast to Coast! collection of recipes.

Course Soup

Key Ingredient Faba Beans, Lentils

Dietary Need Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 309

Ingredients

2 lbs (~1 kg) acorn or butternut squash (see notes)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) diced white onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground tumeric
5 cups (1.25 L) prepared vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) kernel corn, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) cooked faba beans or canned beans, drained & rinsed (see notes)
1/4 cup (60 mL) dry red split lentils
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme leaves
3 Tbsp (45 mL) finely sliced green onions
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
Quarter squash and remove seeds. Roast cut side up on prepared baking tray for 35 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven, cool slightly and scoop the flesh into a food processor and purée until smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and cook onions and garlic until golden.
Add cumin and turmeric and cook for one minute.
Deglaze pot with the stock and stir in squash purée, corn, cooked beans, dry lentils and lemon juice. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook semi-covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in green beans, fresh thyme and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste and serve.

Notes

A 2 lb (1 kg) squash yields 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) pureed squash.
Strapped for time? Use canned squash or unsweetened pumpkin.
Cooked or canned black beans, red kidney beans or chickpeas are all great alternatives to Faba beans in this soup.
To cook a batch of dry Faba beans, check out our website for more info!
Prefer a thicker soup? Add more dry red split lentils.

Nutrition