Soups On!
Curry Butternut Squash Soup! Do you remember the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld? I bet this one was on the menu. I would stand in line and be insulted for this delicious and totally meal-worthy dish. And, if you don’t tell, I won’t either, it’s completely vegan (unless you don’t want it to be). (Link to The Soup Nazi episode below👇.)
Another amazing gardening win this year is my very prolific butternut squash plants. I have two and one of them is loaded. This soup was made with my first harvest.
I always find making soup to be relaxing, kinda zen. Honestly, you can’t mess up soup and you don’t have to ⚖️ measure anything exactly if you don’t want to. It’s so easy and as they say, butternut squash soup is good for the soul. Or, is that chicken? No matter, here’s how you can make this next level delish, Curry Butternut Squash Soup.
Are you a Seinfeld fan? If you are, leave me a comment in the form below 👇 with your favorite Seinfeld episode!
And just for fun, watch the episode highlight of the Soup Nazi. If you’ve never seen it, please do. If you want to remember how funny it is, here’s the link on youtube.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2lfZg-apSA
Then you can decide for yourself who gets soup. Not happy? Let ‘em know, it’s “No Soup For You!”
You’re Gonna Need A Sharper Knife 🔪 To Make This Curry Butternut Squash Soup 🍲
I used a 2 1/2 pound fresh butternut squash.
The easiest way to cut these up is to have someone else do it for you is to cut off the top and the bottom. Then, I slice it right in half. Using a sharp knife, I am then able to angle the knife straight down on the squash to remove the hard outer skin. I have never found a strong enough vegetable peeler to do the job. On the round portion, cut it in half, then remove the seeds. Then just chop the whole squash into 1 inch dice. If cutting up a squash is not for you, don’t let that stop you. Buy frozen squash at the grocery store, it’s already cleaned, cut and frozen!
How To Here!
Chop 1 whole sweet onion and mince 5 cloves of garlic. In a large heavy bottom pot, add 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil to heat on medium. Once hot, add the onion and the garlic and add 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Let them cook on medium until the onion starts to take on color and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Add the squash and 2 cups of chopped celery, including the celery leaves (Did you know the leaves have the most celery flavor? I can’t believe I used to throw them away!
Last Thanksgiving, I asked my nephew Keenan to chop celery for me. I looked away as I was doing other stuff. When I looked back, the celery was chopped so small it virtually disappeared . I didn’t know you could chop anything so tiny it could nearly disintegrate. I asked “Huh? What? Why so small?” He said, ” I don’t like celery.”
Add 1 cup chopped carrots. The carrots are important because they will add a natural sweetness to the soup and other than that, you’ll never even know they were there.) Let the veggies cook together about 5 minutes.
Time for the spice! Add 3 tablespoons of yellow curry powder and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger. Next, add 2 cups of vegetable (or chicken stock) and a whole can of lite coconut milk 🥥 Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are super tender.
Let It Whirl
One of the most delicious parts of this soup is the creamy texture you get just from putting it in the blender. Make sure the soup has cooled sufficiently. Don’t ever blend really hot stuff unless you’re a pro! It will explode on you and you will never do that again. Or at least, you’ll get better at it and it won’t explode. But for the first time, just blend when it’s near room temperature.
In batches, blend until smooth, then either return to the pot or refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the soup. This is a great make-ahead meal, for sure!
Yes, Soup For You! Serving Up Ideas
To serve, warm the soup and top with any of your favorite toppings. I topped with whipped coconut cream. Just skim the cream off the top of the can. When you open your coconut milk or cream, the heaviest cream will rise to the top. Make sure you don’t shake the can and that it’s been sitting upright for at least 24 hours. Remove the cream on the top and put it into the freezer for about 30 minutes. Put it into a small bowl with a pinch of sugar or honey and whip. Top with freshly chopped cilantro.]
Other ideas: Chopped cashews or peanuts, yogurt swirl with herbs, raisins or toasted coconut, dried banana chips. Whatever you love on your curry would be great in this dish. Not a vegetarian or a vegan, how about adding shredded chicken?
Curry Butternut Squash Soup topped with creamy coconut and cilantro
Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 2 - 2 1/2 lb Butternut Squash
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 cups chopped celery plus leaves (about 5 stocks)
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar
- 2 cups vegetable stock or (optional chicken stock)
- 1 can lite coconut milk
Optional Toppings: Chopped fresh cilantro, whipped coconut cream, chopped nuts, dried bananas, toasted coconut
Instructions
- Cut, Peel and clean one 2 1/2 lb butternut squash and chop into 1 inch square cubes. Chop 1 whole sweet onion and mince 5 cloves of garlic. In a large heavy bottom pot, add 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil to heat on medium. Once hot, add the onion and the garlic and add 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Let them cook on medium until the onion starts to take on color and most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring often.
- Add the squash, chopped celery and the carrots.
- Let the veggies cook together about 5 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons of yellow curry powder and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger and one teaspoon cumin seed.
- Next, add 2 cups of vegetable (or chicken stock) and a whole can of lite coconut milk. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are super tender.
- Make sure the soup has cooled sufficiently to room temperature, then blend in batches in blender or a food processor. Adjust salt/pepper.
- Reheat to serve and top with your favorite toppings.
Optional Toppings: Whipped coconut cream, fresh chopped cilantro, chopped cashews or peanuts, banana chips, toasted coconut, etc.
Recipe from Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
