Every fall brings an amazing bounty of squashes and that means making curry butternut squash soup! One of my favorites is the butternut squash. Sweet, fragrant, and vibrantly yellow-orange, this fall beauty is a delicious side dish or soup. Roasting the butternut squash gives it a concentrated buttery and rice flavor. Garlic and onion round out the flavor profile of the soup and give it added umami and richness. A great way to add sweetness to a blended soup: add an apple! Sugar is another great way to go to help balance out flavors. It is an unpopular opinion and I know there has been a war on sugar lately. But, I believe in all things in moderation. It is okay to add sugar into the food that we cook. We just have to make sure we’re not eating an entire pint of ice cream every day or large candy bars on a daily basis. What would life be without anything sweet? No life I want to endure, that’s for sure.
Coconut milk is an important ingredient in this curry butternut squash recipe because it adds a richness and creaminess to the soup. For vegan versions, simply omit the butter from the recipe and replace with oil. I love the flavor that the curry adds.
For other soup recipes, check out my albondigas soup.
How to Make Curry Butternut Squash Soup
- roast your butternut squash
- add aromatics, such as garlic and onion
- saute your curry powder with the aromatics to cook out the raw curry flavor
- use high quality coconut cream/milk
How do I make soup less salty?
Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash cut in half
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp madras curry powder
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 sweet onion thinly sliced
- 1 apple sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Split butternut squash in half length-wise and remove seeds. Prepare a lined baking sheet and place oil evenly on baking sheet. Place butternut squash face-down on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 1 hour until butternut squash is softened.
- When butternut squash has 15 minutes left of roasting, prepare aromatics. Add butter into a soup pot and turn heat on medium high. Add in onions, garlic, apple, and curry powder. Saute for 5 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the curry powder.
- Add salt, sugar, coconut cream, heavy cream, and water into the pot. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat on low.
- Remove roasted butternut squash flesh from the skin. Add butternut squash to the soup mixture and allow to simmer 40-45 minutes until onion and apple are softened.
- Using an immersion blender or conventional blender, blend the soup mixture until completely smooth. When blending hot liquids in a conventional blender, make sure to fill the container only half-way and to leave the cap partially open. The pressure from the steam will cause your blender to explode if you close the lid completely. Taste for seasoning and add salt, garlic salt, and sugar to taste.
- Optional: garnish with chopped green onion and a splash of cream when serving.
Use low or no-sodium broth so that you have better control over the amount of salt and seasonings in your soups and stews. Season with each step of the cooking process because you do not want a bland soup, but do not over-use salt. Remember: you can always add more salt but cannot take it away.
How do I make soup thicker?
- Add starchy ingredients such as rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beans. As they cook, the starch will release into the soup liquid and thicken it.
- Add heavy cream
- Create a slurry of corn starch and water or a roux (cooked butter and flour) to thicken your soup. This method is used for cream soups, cajun stews, beef stews, and gravies.
Happy cooking! Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary if you’ve made this dish! Would love to see how it turned out.
