Thai Butternut Squash Soup – Recipe!

Any kind of soup, but especially vegetable based broths gently warm and comfort our souls during this time of year.  Butternut Squash makes a great soup and this hearty vegetable is easy to roast and puree into a beautifully velvet soup, but also provides a nice big dose of healthy – something we could all use.

Adding subtle flavorings to butternut squash soup seems paramount, especially slightly unique ingredients with hints of Thailand.  Lime, coconut milk and fish sauce contrast the sweet squash and create a delicious balance for a perfect bowl of soup.

Before starting, I recommend microwaving your squash for a few minutes first, so it’s much easier to peel and cut into large chunks – especially if you’re a novice with a knife.  Transforming this basic vegetable into something more delicious is not only tasty it’s just great cooking.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

1/2 onion, diced

1 lime, zest and juice

2 tsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 cup light coconut milk

chicken broth or water

olive oil

1/4 cup smoked almonds, chopped

(Serves 4)

To Prepare:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice squash in half and scoop out butternut squash seeds.  Drizzle oil on sheet pan and place squash cut-side-down on pan.  Roast in oven for 50 minutes, or until fork tender.

2.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil for about 3 minutes.

3.  Spoon cooked squash and lime zest into pan with onions, stir.  Continue to cook over medium heat and add 1 cup broth or water to pan, stir.  Add fish sauce and soy sauce to squash mixture, stir.  Add coconut milk and juice of 1 lime, stir to combine.

4.  Puree soup with immersion blender or regular blender in batches.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with smoked almonds.  Enjoy!