Autumn Squash Soup is a smooth, delicious and comforting dish when you are craving a bowl of warmth or when the weather starts turning. This soup recipe is packed with seasonal flavour, very easy to make, and will fill your house with happiness and warmth!
This creamy soup has lentils and coconut milk in it and is great for autumn & winter. Whether you serve it as a starter for your Christmas dinner or as a main meal for a weeknight supper, make sure you have some bread to dip in.
Ingredients for Autumn Squash Soup
- Butternut squash – I prefer peeling and cutting into chunks but you can roast the squash without peeling and scoop it out after roasting with skin on. You can use pumpkin instead of butternut squash for this recipe.
- Olive oil – A drizzle of olive oil helps the butternut squash roast nice and brown!
- Onions – I use medium size brown onions but you can use red onions or shallots if you prefer.
- Tomatoes – I use fresh tomatoes for tanginess. Use tinned tomatoes with a bit of added sugar if you don’t have nice fresh tomatoes in hand.
- Red Lentils – Red lentils are a great source of iron, potassium and fibre. They are high in protein and low in calories. They also give great taste and texture to the soups. I use red lentils for my other soups such as Ezogelin Soup or Turkish Lentil Soup.
- Tomato Paste – Another great ingredient I often use for generally Turkish cooking but also any recipes that I want to add some “umami” flavour.
- Ghee – You can replace ghee with butter for a less intense taste. Or use olive oil to make it vegan friendly.
- Garlic and Ginger Paste – My favourite ingredient for my Asian recipes. I usually make it in big batches and freeze it for future use. Click on the link for the recipe and how to store it!
- Vegetable Stock, Chicken Stock or Beef Stock- The secret to delicious soups and stews is definitely using homemade stock. If you don’t have homemade stock, use a good quality shop-bought stock. Make sure you check the seasoning before adding extra salt to your dish as most of them contains salt. If you want to make your Homemade Beef Stock, click on the link for the recipe.
- Coconut Milk – Coconut milk add richness and creaminess to the soup.
- Spices – I like using turmeric, chilli, freshly ground pepper, garam masala and curry leaves for this soup but you can omit the curry leaves and adjust the amount of the chilli to your taste. Always add the salt carefully if you are using shop-bought stock.
Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities.
How to Make Autumn Squash Soup?
Autumn Squash Soup is very easy to make, however, you need to follow few simple steps to achieve the best results:
- Roast the butternut squash – Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Peel and cut the squash into chunky pieces, drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast the squash for 30 minutes, or until soft and slightly browned on the sides. While the squash is roasting, start preparing the base of the soup.
- Prepare the base for the soup – Place a large heavy-based pan or Dutch oven on medium heat, add olive oil, ghee or butter. Add the onions to the pan, saute until translucent and slightly browned. When the onions are lightly caramelised, add garlic & ginger paste, turmeric powder, garam masala, chilli flakes, freshly ground black pepper, salt and tomato paste. Saute for another minute. Add the tomatoes, curry leaves, red lentils and give it a good stir.
Add coconut milk and stock, give it a good stir and then add the roasted butternut squash. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to a boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes or until the red lentils are softened. When the soup is cooked, blitz it using a hand blender or a liquidiser.
The best accompaniment to this spicy butternut soup is a piece of warm bread to dip in. We love eating our soup with some freshly made Turkish flatbread such as Bazlama or Gozleme. You can also serve it with our delicious Potato Borek, Spinach and Feta Borek or Homemade Toast Bread and a bowl of healthy Greek Salad for a substantial meal.
The leftover would keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Let the soup cool down and then transfer it to an airtight container before putting it in the fridge or the freezer.
This soup is not only delicious but also healthy and full of nutrition. If you are using exactly the same ingredients I used, 1 portion of this lovely soup has only 358 calories!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. I love using my Lodge Dutch Oven for most of my recipes such as soups, stews, roast or bread. Their thick walls allow for better browning and caramelization of ingredients and retain heat well.
Another piece of equipment you might need is a good food processor or a liquidiser. I love my Thermomix whether I blitz a soup or chop some walnuts. It just takes seconds for a perfect result each and every time!
I hope you enjoy the process of making this hearty curried Autumn Squash Soup as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Top tip from the chef
When buying butternut squash, make sure it is ripened to get the best flavour and taste. Look for butternut squash with a beige colour, without any deep cuts or bruises. Make sure it feels heavy for its size and doesn’t have any green spots.
Autumn Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (approx 800 grams to 1 kilo)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for roasting the butternut squash)
- 1 tbsp olive oil, ghee or butter
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- ½ tbsp turmeric powder
- ½ tbsp garam masala
- ½ TSP chilli flakes (adjust to your taste)
- ½ TSP freshly ground black pepper
- 2 TSP salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 6-8 curry leaves
- ½ cup red lentil (100 grams)
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 1 ⅕ litres vegetable stock or chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- Peel and cut the squash into chunky pieces, drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast the squash for 30 minutes, or until soft and slightly browned on the sides.
- While the squash is roasting, start preparing the base of the soup.
- Place a large heavy-based pan or Dutch oven on medium heat, add olive oil, ghee or butter.
- Add the onions to the pan, saute until translucent and slightly browned.
- When the onions are lightly caramelised, add garlic & ginger paste, turmeric powder, garam masala, chilli flakes, freshly ground black pepper, salt and tomato paste. Saute for another minute.
- Add the tomatoes, curry leaves, red lentil, coconut milk and stock, give it a good stir and then add the roasted butternut squash.
- Cover the pan with a lid, bring to a boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes or until the red lentils are softened.
- When the soup is cooked, blitz it using a hand blender or a liquidiser.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
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