What is your favorite season? Mine might just be soup season. (Side note: Does anyone else hear Moira Rose saying award season? IYKYK) That autumn chill is finally in the air & there is nothing better than a steaming cup of soup & a crusty chunk of bread. Although I think what I love best about making soup is the simplicity. So easy to make, easily adjustable to flavors & ingredients on hand & best of all… leftovers that actually taste better than the original. What’s not to love?
Smoky Butternut Squash Soup
Ease the chill of a cold night by warming up with this Smoky Butternut Squash Soup & a crusty chunk of bread.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 lb butternut squash
- 6-8 cloves garlic skin on
- 1 medium onion chopped about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 1/2-2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 drizzles olive oil
- assorted fresh herbs - sage, rosemary, thyme
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400°. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Prepare butternut squash. Carefully slice off the top & bottom ends. Stand up up tall & slice in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds & flesh (save if you want to make the roasted seed garnish). Drizzle with olive oil, place the fresh herbs & garlic cloves in the hollowed out portion of squash & flip over & place flesh side down on the tray. Roast for 35-40 minutes.
- While the butternut squash is roasting, roughly chop up the onion. In a saucepan over medium heat, drizzle a tiny bit of oil & saute the onions for 4-5 minutes until translucent & just starting to brown. Remove from heat.
- If you would like to roast the squash seeds as a garnish, clean the flesh off, rinse well under water & pat dry. Place on a baking tray & toss with a dash of olive oil & sprinkle of smoked paprika seasoning. Place in oven & roast for 8-10 minutes alongside the butternut squash. Remove & set aside.
- Remove the squash from the oven. Let it cool for a minute in order to handle. Scoop out the flesh from the skin. Pop the garlic cloves from their skins.
- In a large blender add the onion, butternut squash, garlic, turmeric, paprika, nutritional yeast, coconut milk & vegetable stock. Puree on medium until well blended, scraping down the sides as needed. Add more liquid to thin out if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- You can either serve immediately if still piping hot or add to a saucepan & heat up the soup mixture over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes until simmering.
- Serve with big chunks of crusty bread & garnish with the roasted seeds, fresh herbs or a drizzle of coconut milk.
Notes
Don’t have coconut milk? No problem you can substitute with more vegetable stock or water.
The amount of liquid is adjustable. Some people like a thick soup, others more of a bisque. Add as much as you need to get the preferred consistency. You may need to increase the seasonings as you add liquid so taste as you go.
Want to add more flavor. Sprinkle in some curry, coriander, maybe even some harissa to up that warm spicy vibe.
Enjoy!