Butternut Squash! This season’s oblong darling.
Pro’s: Sweet and delicious. Tastes great with butter and cinnamon. Versatile. Fabulous in a soup.
Con’s: Will avoid peeling and cutting into one at all costs. (See recipe below)
If you’re looking for a way to use that monstrous butternut squash you impulse-bought at the market, without harming yourself with a chefs knife, look no further!
Thai soup is an awesome (and delicious!) way to enjoy the sweet and buttery qualities of squash. This recipe has you roasting the hell out of the squash first (keeping all of your fingers intact) and then you simply scoop it out and roughly chop. The tender squash practically melts into the Thai peanut curry, lending a delicious sweetness and creaminess to the body of the soup.
If you’d like to add protein, a crumble of tofu or shredded chicken would work great here. I’ve also been known to add chickpeas, like in this soup. Either way, it’s a super gratifying way to get in those veggies (even those weird ones hanging out at the back of your fridge – those will work here too!).
Enjoy!
XO.
Mere.
Ingredients
- 1/2 large butternut squash
- 1 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms (or any veggie you like!)
- 1 litre low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 2-3 tbsp yellow curry paste (depending on brand or heat tolerance)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1.5 tsp curry powder
- 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp unsweetened plant milk (coconut, soy, almond etc)
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce (optional)
- handful cilantro. Stems thinly sliced and leaves roughly chopped.
- Lime, zested and cut into wedges.
- 2 nests mung bean noodles (85 g) or rice noodles cooked according to package
- chopped roasted peanuts for serving
Method
- Preheat the oven to 450 F.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, add butternut squash, cut side up. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 35-45 min, until very tender.
- When the squash is almost ready, in a large pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms, garlic, ginger, curry paste, and curry powder. Cook for 2-3 min, stirring often, to toast the spices.
- Add broth, tamari, cilantro stems and fish sauce (if using). Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 5-6 min, uncovered. Whisk in peanut butter, plant milk and lime zest. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (more curry powder for oomph, soy for salt or plant milk for creminess)
- When the roasted squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out of skin and roughly chop into 1-inch pieces. Discard skin.
- Add squash to soup. With a large spoon, roughly mash some of the squash into the soup for a rustic texture.
- Serve soup over noodles. Squeeze lime juice and sprinkle peanuts, and cilantro leaves.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If making ahead, keep noodles and broth separate and add together just before serving.
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