Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Make the most of autumn’s harvest with this hearty and warming Thai butternut squash soup.

Now it’s officially autumn that means soup season is upon us. I’ve definitely been noticing the recent cooler weather and when it’s cold out all I crave is comforting food like soups and stews. Recently I’ve been feeling a tad rundown and decided on making soup so I would feel back to my best.

Around this time of year you’ll be seeing lots of delicious savoury and sweet pumpkin recipes. I adore butternut squash soup and every year when autumn rolls around and pumpkin is in season I like to make a batch of homemade soup. However, whilst I love butternut squash soup as it is, this time I wanted to try something a little more aromatic and spicy.

My love of Thai cuisine is the main inspiration behind this recipe. Many classic Thai recipes are packed full of different flavours and spices. I frequently cook my family Thai green curry and other traditional dishes from Thailand.

For the soup, I thought about chopping up chilli, garlic and ginger, however I was feeling lazy so instead I decided to cheat this time and use a couple of tablespoons of Thai red curry paste we had leftover in the fridge after my sister made a Thai red curry over the weekend.

To make this soup, it’s really quite simple. Take your butternut squash, peel and chop it up in 1cm sized cubes. Add the chopped squash to a large saucepan along with the red curry paste and sauté for a few minutes. Next add the coconut cream and stock, bring up to the boil, cover and leave to simmer for about 25 minutes or until the squash is soft. Finally, blend the soup until smooth. I like my soup a little on the thicker side, but if you prefer your soup thinner in consistency just add a touch more stock.

With Bonfire Night next month, this soup would be brilliant to pack up or come home to if you’re feeling cold after watching fireworks. You’ve got to give this soup recipe a try this autumn, it’s amazingly tasty and comforting with the fragrance from the red curry paste and creamy coconut flavour and texture from the coconut cream.

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1kg butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes

2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

250ml coconut cream

500ml vegetable stock

Method:

Add the chopped butternut squash to a large saucepan along with the red curry paste. Gently sauté over a medium heat and cook for about 2-3 minutes until all the squash is thoroughly coated in the curry paste.
Add the coconut cream and vegetable stock, cover the pan and leave to simmer for about 25 minutes or until the squash is soft.
Blend the soup in a food processor or with a handheld blender until smooth. Add a couple of generous pinches of salt, stir and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes:

Add more or less curry paste depending on how spicy you want your soup.
Adjust consistency of the soup to your liking by adding more stock if it is too thick.
Soup will store in an airtight container in the fridge for up a 2-3 days, it’s best eaten on the day of making.
This soup is delicious served with bread, rolls or croutons. We made our own croutons and baked them in the oven until they were crispy and golden.