Roasting butternut squash in this soup recipe enhances its natural sweet earthy flavour. Adding the spices turns up the heat. But we tone it back down with a creamy swirl of yoghurt right at the end. This blended, velvety soup is topped off with a crunchy addition in the form of dukkah. The perfect lunchtime winter warmer.
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is a versatile, sweet, and nutty-tasting squash that’s a favorite in both savoury and sweet dishes. It becomes even more flavorful when roasted or baked. Rich in vitamins A and C, fiber, and antioxidants, butternut squash offers a nutrient-packed addition to any meal.
Other Butternut squash recipes
Here are some other suggestions on how to use roasted butternut squash:
Growing Butternut Squash
Growing Squash or Pumpkin isn’t for the faint-hearted and requires a big garden. They need a lot of space to trawl across the soil, winding their tendrils around anything in their path! If you do have these giants of the vegetable world growing in your patch then great. If not, then they are a great seasonal addition to your shopping trolley in the autumn and winter months when they are at their best.
Dukkah
Dukkah (or Duqqa) is an Egyptian and Middle Eastern blend of nuts, seeds and spices that is traditionally used as a dip with olive oil and bread. The nuts and spices of choice are toasted and then either pounded in a pestle and mortar, as it was traditionally, or blended to a coarse mix in a blender. Not only can it be used as a dip, but its fragrant flavours and crunch make it a versatile addition to various dishes.
You could add a couple of tsp of maple syrup if you wish to sweeten it further, but I personally think it’s perfect the way it is.
You can always substitute parsley for sage, which would be a great combination.
Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp light olive oil
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 pinch dried chilli flakes
- 600 ml stock veg or chicken
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- Dukkah and chopped fresh sage leaves to serve optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Peel the butternut squash and cut into 3cm chunks. Spread out on a baking tray along with the whole garlic cloves still in their skin, season with salt and pepper, and stir in 1 tbsp of light olive oil and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Once the butternut squash is roasted, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil in a pan on the hob, add the diced onion and celery and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the onion is transparent. Add in the grated ginger and spices, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer and cook for 15 mins.
- Into a free-standing blender, squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins and add the butternut squash along with any pan juices. Very gently pour in the liquid from your pan and blend everything until very smooth. If you don’t have a blender you can use a handheld stick blender in the pan, to which you add the garlic and butternut squash.
- If using a free-standing blender, pour everything back into the pan and reheat until bubbling.
- Serve in 4 bowls with 1 tbsp of Greek yoghurt swirled into each and sprinkled with Dukkah and some chopped fresh sage.
Notes
- You could add a couple of tsp of maple syrup if you wish to sweeten it further, but I think it’s perfect the way it is.
- You can always substitute parsley for sage, whatever you have to hand.
