Not sure what to bring to this year’s Thanksgiving meal? I’ve created a flavorful twist on a humble classic. Not only is this soup delicious, but it has a ton of vegetables in it! Enjoy!

 

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup

Makes about 12 cups of liquid.

Ingredients

-200g finely chopped celery

-400g peeled and finely chopped carrot

-400g finely chopped onion

-3 medium butternut squash (1700g plus extra. *Using the extra is optional)

-6 cloves of garlic

 

-4 chopped dried red chilis 

-2 tbsp of curry powder (I like S&B curry powder. This can often be found at asian food stores in the section where the japanese foods are located)

-1 tbsp of garam masala 

-1/2 tbsp cinnamon 

-3 medium bay leaves

 

-400 mL can of coconut milk

-5 cups of vegetable broth

-1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar 

-2 tbsp of agave syrup or to taste 

-5 tbsp of light olive oil

-Salt and pepper to taste

One Serving = 2 measurement cups

Step-by-step

-Finely chop the celery and onions. Peel and finely chop the carrots. Mince the garlic.

-Cut 1700g of butternut squash into half inch cubes. 

-*Optional: the rest of the squash will be roasted so cut into cubes slightly larger than 1 inch.

-In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add 1700g of butternut squash. Add 2-3 pinches of salt and stir regularly. Saute until the pieces are soft, ensuring you stir occasionally. 

-Remove the squash from the pot and set aside in a separate bowl.

-In the same pot, heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer. 

-Saute 400g of onions. Add 1-2 pinches of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add 6 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir enough to prevent the garlic from burning. 

-Add 200g of finely cut celery. Add 1-2 pinches of salt. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

-Add 400g of carrots and add 1-2 pinches of salt and cook for 5 minutes and stir occasionally.

-Add 2 tbsp of curry, 1 tbsp of cinnamon, 3 medium bay leaves, and the optional 4 chopped dried chilis. Stir occasionally. Saute for an additional 3-5 minutes

-Add the butternut squash back into the pot along with the spiced vegetables. 

-Add 1 tbsp of garam masala and stir all the vegetables. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure that the vegetables do not burn.

-Add 5 cups of vegetable broth. Stir until everything is incorporated.

-Increase the heat to high and bring the pot to a boil. Then, reduce heat to low and allow the soup to simmer until all the vegetables are soft. 

-Remove the bay leaves.

-Blend the mixture with a table-top blender or a stick blender. Be careful! Many blenders are not suitable to use with hot liquids. Depending on your equipment, you might need to cool the soup before doing this step.

-Optional step, for a velvety consistency, strain the soup with a fine, mesh strainer. 

-Return the blended soup to the pot. 

-Add 400mL can of coconut milk 

-Add 2 tbsp of agave syrup or 1-2 tbsp of sugar.

-Add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar.

-Add two dashes of black pepper.

-Stir thoroughly and taste the soup and determine what else it needs. I added additional agave syrup and black pepper. Depending on your tastes, you might want to add more curry powder or more chili. If the soup is too thick, add a small amount of additional vegetable broth until you’ve reached your desired texture. 

 

-*Optional Step. Roast the extra butternut squash in a 415 degree oven. To do this, first coat the butternut squash with about 1 tbsp of light olive oil, salt, and pepper. You could also add your favorite seasoning blend if you like. I coated the squash in Zatar.

-Add the butternut squash to a parchment lined pan and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. 

-Add the roasted butternut squash to soup as a garnish and enjoy. I determined two cups of soup to be a serving but it is very filling and you might find that even one cup is enough to satisfy you. Keep this in mind when looking at the nutrition info.

 

Additional Nutrition Info