Sunday, October 9, 2011

PPQ: Curried Butternut Squash Soup


It's my turn to choose a recipe for Project Pastry Queen again!  And being that I have an newborn at home, I thought I'd go easy and simple.  And I figured if I chose a savory recipe, then there's a nobrainer dinner one night.  I have trouble putting down my cuddly baby long enough to make dinner, much less do any extra baking. 

This is actually the second time I made this soup.  I served it when I hosted book club around this time last year, and we all loved it.  Sometimes when I order butternut squash soup at a restaurant, it is bland and leaden with cream.  This one is the opposite - it's full of spices and with just a touch of cream. The curry powder just gives the soup a really nice warmth.  And when combined with cinnamon, a little nutmeg, paprika, just a pinch of cayenne, and ginger, it's a soup that really does taste like fall.  Cozy, warm, and comforting.  And as a bonus, it reheats really well, so it makes for an excellent lunch the next day.

To see how everyone else liked the soup, check out Project Pastry Queen.  And next week we're going big with a Bourbon Pumpkin Tart.


Curried Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather
serves 4 to 6
  • 2 Tbs unsalted butter or olive oil
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
  • 1 medium russet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • pinch cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup milk (low fat or fat-free is fine)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Sour cream or Greek yogurt, for garnish
Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and carrot and saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften.  Add the squash potato, ginger, cinnamon, curry powder, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add the stock, milk, cream, honey, and paprika and bring the soup to a boil.  Decrease the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the soup over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Add black pepper to taste.  If the soup seems too thick, add more milk or chicken stock.  Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt on top.


8 comments:

Made in Sonoma said...

I'll definitely be making this one this fall or winter. Love those flavors!

Pam said...

always good to have a new way to use up some of the extra squash everyone's garden ends up with! This looks like it would be wonderful on a cold winter day. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

This sounds so yummy! Love it.

Krissy said...

This is going on my next menu plan :)

Tara said...

We love this soup and were so happy to make it again so thanks for choosing it, Josie!

Nicole, RD said...

This looks fantastic! Butternut squash was on sale this week and I...bought a lot! Can't wait to make this...I just need some cooler temps now. 80 here today!

Amy said...

I love it. I recently made a curried butternut squash and yellow pea soup that we loved. I think the sweet squash pairs so nicely with the spices.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this recipe. I've eaten many bowls of butternut squash soup and this recipe blew the rest out of the water. The smells coming out of my kitchen was to die for! This has got to me my all-time favorite soup!

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