Butternut squash, apples, curry, and coconut milk are an unbeatable combination. But don't be tempted to skip the tablespoon of brown sugar at the end. It makes a difference to how the flavors come together.
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The calendar unleashes butternut squash cravings in me every October 1, and this year was no exception. Unfortunately, I was in Italy, and searched in vain for my familiar friend on menus. It turns out, butternut squash is native to the Americas, and not as common in other areas of the world. I had to wait.
So, the first thing I made when I padded back into my kitchen was this butternut squash soup. A version is also in my cookbook, Simply Vegetarian, as it's super-easy and full of flavor. And then I began to experiment to get even bigger flavor. This is, after all, a soup I play with every autumn. If you like this curried version, you might like to try this vegan curried butternut squash and sweet potato soup.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
First, I decided to roast cubes of butternut squash to bring up its natural sugars, and deepen the flavor. Roasting butternut couldn't be easier. Either 1) purchase squash already cut up into 1 - 2" cubes from your market - or peel and chop your own; or 2) chop off the stem and bottom, slice the squash lengthwise through the middle with a chef's knife, and use a spoon to scrape out the pulp and seeds, or 3) place the squash whole, on a baking sheet. Before roasting, either toss the cubed squash in a little olive oil, or rub the cut surface of the halved squash with olive oil, and lightly salt and pepper.
This was a great way to enhance the butternut flavor in the soup, and you can do this with any butternut soup you're making. But I wanted to go Asian with the soup, and went further with my changes.
Thai Coconut Curried Butternut Squash Soup
I sautéed yellow onion and garlic together until softened, and stirred in a lovely concoction of curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne that swept me back to the food bazaars in Thailand I visited a few years ago. Warm exotic aromas filled the kitchen as I nudged the spices around the pot, completely coating the onion and garlic. Now I just needed to add the roasted butternut, some vegetable broth, and puree.
Feel free to stop there, if you wish.
But for another layer of flavor I added two more things: apple sauce and coconut milk. And depending on the sweetness of your squash, you may choose to add up to 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. You won't be sorry if you go to these few extra steps. Seriously, this is my new favorite butternut soup - and it just might become yours too.
If you like this soup, and want to try a squash soup with another type of squash, check out this roasted kabocha squash soup with apples, spices and a little coconut milk.
How to Peel Butternut Squash
Breaking down a butternut squash can intimidate with it's thick, tough skin, and odd shape. Here are my top tips:
- Use a sharp chef's knife to chop off the top stem and bottom, and slice in half across its width, where the thinner top begins to broaden into the bulbous bottom.
- If the skin is extremely tough, which can occur with larger squash, puncture it with a sharp knife a few times, and microwave whole for 2 - 3 minutes or warm in a 350˚F oven for 15 minutes. The skin will soften enough to be easily cut through and peeled.
- Either stand the top half up on its flat edge and slice off the the tough skin with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, OR slice the top half in half again, lengthwise. Lay each half with its flat surface resting on a cutting board, and peel with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. The type peel I use is a Y-shaped peeler, and my choice of knives is either a small carving knife or Bird's beak knife. The Bird's beak knife is great for peeling any round fruit or vegetable.
- Slice the bulbous end of the squash in half, and scrape out the pulp and seeds with a spoon. A grapefruit spoon works great for this! Lay each half with its flat surfaces resting on a cutting board, and peel with a Y-shaped peeler or bird's beak sharp knife.
- Use a chef's knife to slice into cubes.
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Coconut Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cubed butternut squash about 2 lbs 3 oz if starting with a whole squash
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ยพ teaspoon kosher salt divided
- โ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- โ teaspoon cayenne
- 4 cups vegetable broth or water
- ยฝ cup applesauce
- ยฝ cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Possible Toppings
- Roasted crunchy chickpeas
- Chopped Cilantro
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Dried red pepper flakes
Instructions
Soup
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Toss the squash cubes in 1 tablespoon olive oil, ยผ teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper, and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, or until tender and slightly caramelized on the edges.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot, suitable for cooking the soup. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the garlic, and cook another few minutes. Add the spices and remaining salt, and sauté for 2 minutes, or until very aromatic.
- Add the roasted squash, vegetable broth, and apple sauce, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes, and puree in a blender or food processor. I use a powerful blender, and can do it all in one go. Return the pureed soup to the pot, and stir in the coconut milk, and brown sugar if needed.
- Add any preferred toppings just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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If you're interested in doing more with butternut squash, check out my Pinterest Board for Butternut Squash!!
If you're looking for more winter squash recipes, here's my Pinterest Board for Winter Squash!
https://www.pinterest.com/wimpyvegetarian/wimpy-vegetarian-winter-squash-dishes/
Rita
I too, love butternut squash this time of year. Your flavor combo sounds delicious. I make a super simple butternut soup with just leeks sautรฉed in butter, then the cubed squash with chicken broth (or veg broth),http://getcookingsimply.com/butternut-squash-soup-deliciously-simple/ I also just made butternut squash risotto for supper last night. Autumn/winter cooking is my favorite.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
The wonderful thing about butternut is that it goes so well with so many different flavor profiles! Autumn and winter are my favorite times to cook and bake too!!
Eha
Writing from spring-like Down Under I hope you do forgive me for changing 'squash' to 'pumpkin' as that is how we know the beloved butternut here ! Coconut - of course ! Curry: naturally !! Have never used applesauce in the equation: that will be fun ๐ ! Thank you !!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It's so interesting to me to hear about butternut squash in other countries. I was stunned when I couldn't find it in Italy, and was interested to read that squash was first cultured by the Americas a bazillion years ago, and was brought back to Spain with the Spaniards in the 1500s. Now I see that butternut is called pumpkin in Australia! Do you have what we call pumpkins there too, and refer to both of them as pumpkins? And I hope you try this recipe - we LOVED it.
Eha
*huge smile* n We are 'simple' people ! If it is large we call it pumpkin, the most famous being the Queensland Blue . . . if you can hold it in your hand, it is probably yellow summer squash . . Oh, the butternut is there all year round - a dependable workhorse !!!!
mjskitchen
What a delicious autumn soup! Love that little bit of applesauce to complement the squash. Lots of great flavors.