Don’t let this velvety smooth coconut milk Butternut Squash Soup fool you, it’s Flavor Rich with garam masala, chili’s, turmeric, ginger and tahini!
Squash
Squash soups can often times be very bland, simply because most types of squash – pumpkin, butternut, acorn, – are very mild in flavor.
They depend on the added ingredients to bring alive the palate when made into a soup.
Preparing this squash, for soup making, has several options; it can be cut in half and roasted, or peeled, chopped into cubes and boiled until soft.
My preference in prepping the squash, is to peel, cut into cubes and simmer the squash in water that has already been flavored with some of the ingredients in this recipe, therefore, imparting flavor into the squash as it cooks.
However, if you would like to use the bulb part of the gourd of the squash as a whimsical presentation for serving the soup in, a little extra work is needed but can be done in advance.
Working with the fat round bulb end of the butternut squash, scrape out as much of the squash from its shell with an ice cream scoop or sharp paring knife, and simmer as mentioned above.
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is a favorite of mine simply because when it is cooked, the texture is creamy and not granular, as is often with other squash.
Simply roasted with a drizzle of olive oil infused with garlic, rosemary and a little honey, is a favorite way in my home, to serve butternut squash.
When there is leftover butternut from a roasted meal, I cut off all the squash and use it in a soup.
This soup recipe, however, was a recipe I created specifically for a luscious, flavor rich butternut squash soup. Now a most favored soup on my blog!
Butternut Squash Hummus
As you will find in this soup recipe, tahini adds a deeper, richer flavor and texture to the soup.
While making this soup, I couldn’t help but wonder how this nutritionally rich, and beautifully colored in beta carotene would taste as a hummus.
What a fabulous twist on the traditional hummus this Butternut Squash Hummus is with red lentils, tahini and toasted squash seeds.
Flavor Rich Soup
Flavor means different things to different people. I suppose it is often rooted in flavors we grew up with.
In my kitchen, I often rely on onions and celery to start any good stock or sauce. From there I start to layer flavor through the spices and herbs I use.
Garam Masala is not a spice I grew up with, though cinnamon, mace and cardamom were.
Once I tasted the spice blend of garam masala, I knew it would fast become a regular in my kitchen.
Spices Add Richness To The Flavor Of Soup
The blend of spices that go into this popular spice mix from India, is nothing short of brilliant.
Simply made at home, it is lightly toasted whole spices of cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander and cumin seeds along with a few pods of cardamom.
Once they are lightly toasted, intensifying the flavors of each, they are ground into a unified spice and are the flavor I love most in this soup.
Flavor And Fat
Richness in a soup usually depends on the fat that was used; olive oil, butter or animal fat.
This soup, however derives is fatty richness from coconut milk and the natural oil in sesame seeds, found in the tanini.
The medley of spices, onions, celery and ginger are simmered in a pot along with the squash, until the squash is tender.
The simmered content is then pureed, either in a blender or with an immersion blender.
Then, the richness is added with full fat coconut milk and tahini, which has its own natural oils from the sesame seeds.
Homemade Tahini is so easy to make too, which allows you to lightly toast flavor into them, or keep them raw before pureeing into a paste.
The soup simmers for a while longer until the flavors and richness all marry together into a velvety rich soup!
Soup
Who doesn’t love soup, especially in the chill of winter! Soup, for me, is the best way I know to sneak a gazillion healthy ingredients into a pot of simmering comfort food.
If your little ones aren’t particularly thrilled about eating soup, just toss in some small cut pasta in there, like; orzo, bowtie, or ditalini.
They will lap up the pasta and pay no attention to the healthy ingredients you’ve hidden in there!
Having raised four children and now have several grandchildren, I know a thing or two about hiding healthy ingredients in their food.
It was how I came up with their favorite Grandma’s Sneaky Meatballs. Ground veggies mixed with the meat. (Wink)
This recipe packs the flavor, while still allowing the squash to remain the center of attention.
Other Soups To Love
While many of us have our favorite soup recipes to make during the colder months of the year, it’s always fun to try favorites of other cooks.
Perhaps you will find one of my favorites a new favorite of yours too!
- Asparagus Ends and Garlic Soup – with olive oil and basil, makes for a delicious soup, helping not to waste the woody ends of fresh asparagus.
- Black and White Bean Soups – white bean with chicken or earthy black bean with chili; 2 soups as different as black and white yet both fast to make.
- Immune Boost Vegetable Onion Soup – is slow simmered in natural medicinal properties from onion, turmeric, ginger, fresh herbs and mushrooms.
- Ginger Carrot Red Lentil Soup – is the soup I make every year for New Year’s Day, with immune boosting properties to start a healthy year.
Ingredients Needed
- Butternut Squash
- Onion
- Celery
- Coconut milk
- Garam Masala
- Red chili pepper
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Salt
- Tahini
- Water or Broth
- Cilantro
Equipment Needed
- Stock pot (at least 4 quarts) – if you don’t yet have a favorite stock pot, this one is mine.
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Blender or Immersion Blender – I find it easier to puree in the pot I am cooking in, so this immersion blender is my favorite.
- Cooking Spoon
- Ladle
- Vegetable peeler
- Ice Cream Scooper (to clean out the gourd)
- Stovetop or burner
Flavor Rich Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- 4-quart stock pot with lid
- sharp paring knife
- blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 cups Butternut squash cut into cubes
- 1 Onion cut into cubes
- 2 cups Celery finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala
- pinch Red chili pepper
- 2 tbsp Fresh Turmeric or 1 tbsp powdered
- 2 tbsp Fresh Ginger or 1 tbsp powdered
- 1 tsp Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Tahini
- 4-5 cups Water or Broth
- 1 Cilantro bunch rough chopped
Instructions
- If Using The Butternut Squash Bulb As A Serving Bowl Clean out as much of the butternut squash from the bulb end using an ice cream scoop or sharp paring knife, set the bulb aside to serve in.
- Peel and chop into small cubes the squash from the long cylinder end of the butternut squash.
- In a medium size stock pot (about 4-quarts), place the cubed squash, cubed celery, chopped onion, spices and water or broth. Bring to a boil, lower and simmer for about 30 minutes or until squash is tender.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or scoop out the solid pieces and puree in a blender or food processor. Return the pureed mixture to the pot and add the coconut milk and tahini.
- Bring to a gentle boil again and lower to a simmer for another 15-minutes. Soup is now ready to serve with a garnish of chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
- This soup freezes beautifully for those days when there is not enough time to prepare homemade meals.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
