quick curried butternut squash soup

There are several squash soups on the blog, including a couple for butternut squash, but none is as fast and, at the same time, as luscious as this vegetarian and easily vegan version. If you can’t locate canned butternut squash, look for the boxes of mashed winter squash in the freezer section of your grocery store. You can also use canned pumpkin instead if you like. Concerned with heat in the soup? Add a little curry powder at a time, tasting as you go along, and/or skip the ground cayenne as curry powders vary greatly. Why not take it to a potluck holiday meal in the slow cooker? By the way, this recipe also halves easily.

Servings: 8 first course servings

Author: More Time at the Table

Cost: $25

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large medium shallots minced (can sub a medium red onion)
2 large plump cloves of garlic minced
4 15- ounce cans butternut squash
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne optional
1 tablespoon curry powder or to taste I like Sweet Curry Powder from Penzey’s
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ⁄4 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground ginger
2 15- ounce cans lite coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth can sub low sodium chicken broth for a non-vegetarian version
1 tablespoon honey
GARNISHES: choice of toasted peanuts or pecans, seasoned or plain pepitas, grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, minced fresh parsley, or croutons

Instructions

Add the oil to an 8 or 10-quart soup pot and warm over medium flame for two minutes. Stir in shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring for a minute or two or until tender, being careful not to brown them. Stir in squash and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, curry powder, ground cinnamon and ground ginger. Pour in coconut milk, vegetable broth, and honey and mix well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot with your choice of garnishes.

Notes

For a more-colored orange soup—and also one that tastes more of vegetables-- add 1⁄2 cup well-cooked and mashed carrots along with the butternut squash. For a non-curry version, try my ITALIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP on my blog moretimeatthetable.com.
STORAGE: May be made up to 2 days ahead, cooled, and stored in containers with tight lids in the refrigerator or frozen up to 10 months.
Copyright Alyce Morgan, 2019. All rights reserved.