Vegan Coconut Lentil Soup

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

Steps
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.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large Dutch oven over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, just until translucent, 6–8 minutes.
3. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until garlic is starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
9. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with yogurt, if desired