This creamy and silky butternut squash soup with a Middle Eastern twist is hands down one of my favourites. With coconut milk, curry, cinnamon and other delicious plant-based ingredients, each spoonful is loaded with strong yet comforting flavours, perfect to make you feel better when you’re a little under the weather.
If you’re missing a few ingredients to make this recipe, keep in mind that this kind of soup is very flexible. I usually just wing it and it always turns out great.
For instance, you can replace the carrots for a sweet potato or the apples for pears. If you’re out of fresh ginger, just use ginger powder instead. Feel free to play around with the spices and try different combinations. You can even add different ones like turmeric and garam masala.
I love finding ways to use every part of a vegetable, so whenever I prepare a squash (butternut, pumpkin, acorn, spaghetti squash), I make sure to keep all the seeds.
Roasted squash seeds add a pleasing crunch to a dish and make a great soup garnish. They can also be enjoyed by themselves as a healthy snack, or sprinkled on top of salads. For this recipe, I season them with some olive oil, curry and garlic powder, which complements this dish beautifully.
This soup makes a wonderful appetizer, main dish or side dish recipe. It’s ideal for colder days or when you just crave for something simple yet nutritious. You can even make a batch ahead of time to have some on hand for the coming week!
I hope you all enjoy this soup as much as I do!
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 2 apples, diced (unpeeled)
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 14oz can coconut milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tbsp yellow curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cayenne optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and apple and sauté until golden and tender, around 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the carrot, butternut squash, vegetable broth and coconut milk (reserve 1/4 cup of the coconut milk for garnishing).
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the soup, or work in batches and purée the soup in a stand blender.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more curry or salt if needed. If the soup is too thick, add some water.
- Serve as is or garnish with roasted squash seeds and a drizzle of coconut milk.
Roasted butternut squash seeds
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the seeds from the butternut squash and place them in a small bowl. Add a dash of olive oil and a pinch of curry powder, garlic powder and salt. Toss until evenly coated.
- Spread out the seeds in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the seeds start to pop. Remove from the oven and let cool down before serving.
