Delicious roasted butternut squash and carrot along with coconut milk, make this sweet, creamy soup a fantastically tasty addition to any lunch repertoire…
When making soups I prefer to roast the vegetables as I think it brings out so much more of their natural flavour, as well as a sweetness that only roasting seems to achieve. Butternut squash roasts beautifully; it almost seems to caramelise and is so good in soups or even as it is in salads. I’ve roasted some carrot and onion too, which adds another depth of flavour and sweetness along with some garlic, which honestly I love to put in everything!
Coconut milk is another hugely favourite ingredient of mine, and in this recipe it balances out the sweetness with its rich creaminess. I prefer to use reduced fat to keep the soup on the healthy side, but full fat can be used no problem.
Soups are amazing for so many reasons, they are filling, a great way to pack in as many nutritious vegetables as you can and always taste fantastic. The weather here went from spring like to freezing in a matter of days, so that’s what inspired me to whip up this butternut squash goodness. Being a big fan of ‘spicy’ I have also added a chilli to the mix, but again this can be left out, or quantity reduced if you are not so keen. The problem with spicy, is once you start its hard to stop!
This batch will make 4 servings, and freezes nicely too.
Enjoy!
Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed (roughly 600g prepped weight)
- 2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 red Chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (optional)
- Handful of Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped
- 500ml Vegetable Stock
- 250ml Coconut Milk
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C Fan.
Add the prepared butternut squash, carrot, onion and unpeeled garlic cloves to a roasting tin. Add a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and freshly ground black pepper, and gently toss everything together.
Roast for approx. 35-45 mins, or until the vegetables are cooked through, this time will vary depending on the size you have chopped them.
Once cooked transfer everything, except the garlic, to a large deep sided saucepan. Squeeze the garlic from the skins into the pan, this should be nice and soft and smell amazing.
I like to give everything a quick mash here with a potato masher, as it helps make blending slightly easier. Add the vegetable stock, coriander and chilli and blend with a hand blender. You could add everything to a food processor and give a quick whizz, but I don’t have one big enough, so this does the job just as well.
Once all blended together nicely, add the coconut milk and stir through. Should you want a thinner soup, simply add more coconut milk.
Put the pan over a medium heat, and bring to the boil. Finally season to taste and serve with some chopped coriander, more fresh chililes and some lovely salty feta cheese.