Thai Butternut Squash Soup

  • 2 ½-3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
  • 3 TB olive oil
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger or galangal, grated
  • 2 TB chopped lemongrass, white part only
  • 1 small sweet potato, cubed
  • 1 14 oz can coconut milk
  • 1-3 cups vegetable stock
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 TB fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Try this creamy golden-hued soup on a cool fall day-  a delicious way to make use of the abundance of butternut squash available.

Toss the squash and sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, spread out on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until tender and just beginning to brown.  Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass and sauté 3-4 minutes longer until soft but not browned.  Add the squash, sweet potato, coconut milk and stock.  Cover and bring to a boil, lower heat, add a bit of salt and simmer about 10 minutes.  Remove the lemongrass.  Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot until smooth, adding more stock if you want a thinner consistency.  Season with salt, pepper and the lime juice.  Garnish with fresh basil strips.

Posted in: , , , , , , , , , , ,