Curried Butternut Squash Soup for #FabulousFallBounty

This post is part of the #FabulousFallBounty series, sponsored by Melissa’s Produce, Silpat, and Le Cruset! See this post for all of the other amazing recipes in this series!

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t sure I’d like Curried Butternut Squash Soup. But I did, and I can now tell you with the voice of experience that it really is a wonderful autumn staple. The secret ingredients, maple syrup and coconut milk, balance the forwardness of the curry and make it creamy and smooth.

As written, this is vegetarian! It’s also surprisingly easy: I was able to taste-approve and photograph the very first attempt, which is not usual. There is some prep involved with butternut squash, but once the cooking starts, dinner’s ready in 30 or less. I served this with crusty homemade bread (recipe to be shared when it’s ready!) and it was a perfect light meal. It would also make a light first or second course for a more formal meal.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup Notes

Butternut squash takes a few minutes of prep. Like all squash, you can only eat the insides. The easiest way to get to them is to use a VERY sharp knife to cut off both ends (so you have a flat surface). Then rest it upright on a cutting board–cut the squash in half if it’s too tall–and use a vegetable peeler to take off the outside layers. It’s important to note that you need to take off not only the skin, but also the white-green layer underneath, until you get all the way down to the orange inside. (I will note that this might be more important for roasting: I forgot to take off the white layer for this soup, and it still came out fine.) Then you can scoop out the seeds–save for roasting!–and cut the squash into cubes.

I had a large squash, and I used maybe 3/5 of it. If you want to not have squash leftovers, look for a smallish one.

As always, the seasoning is up to you. The amounts listed are what I liked, but feel free to up the chili powder if you want more of heat (the recipe I borrowed suggests chili garlic paste). I also used less broth for a creamier end result, but you can certainly add more if your soup cooks down too much.

Recipe very slightly adapted from the fabulous Minimalist Baker.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

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• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed ( about 1 small squash)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Optional garnish: Additional coconut milk, toasted squash seeds, chili flakes

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Instructions

1. In a large pot, saute shallots over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.
2. Add squash and spices. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add broth, coconut milk, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until squash is fork tender, about 15 minutes.
4. If using an immersion blender, blend in pot until creamy. If using a regular blender, remove soup from heat and allow to cool until solids can be blended and added back to pot.
5. Taste soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. If soup is too thin, return to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is thick and creamy. Garnish as desired and serve.