It’s still mostly in the 70s and 80s in Baltimore, but winter squash started showing up at the market, so I’m making soup, dangit! This Thai roasted butternut squash soup is inspired by one of my favorite eateries here in the city, Golden West Cafe.
I’ve mentioned Golden West a couple of times before, such as when I made healthy tater tots because I have no self-control. I used to live just down the street and at this point I’ve sampled pretty much every vegan option on the menu. (There are a lot of them! And by the way, I outline dozens of vegan-friendly eateries in Baltimore City proper on my Vegan Dining in Baltimore page.)
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Anyway, at this particular restaurant, there’s a vegan pumpkin soup that’s to-die-for. It’s based in Thai green curry, coconut milk, pumpkin, and lemongrass, and topped with crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds. I started out with intentions of mimicking that soup closely, but ended up with several changes:
- Instead of pumpkin puree, I turned to butternut squash that I got from the farmers market. The result was a caramelized butternut squash puree with a silky texture. And thus, my dish became Thai roasted butternut squash soup. That said, the first time I made it I used roasted delicata squash and I’m sure pumpkin would also be great.
- I swapped green curry for Thai red curry paste, because I wanted a little bit of a kick and a vibrant orange color.
- I burned my butternut squash seeds when I was cooking them, so as an alternative, I quickly toasted some chopped walnuts and almonds in tamari and sriracha. I was pretty delighted with the result and kept it in the recipe!
Another thing I love about this soup is that I didn’t need to add any sweetener. The roasted butternut squash already has a lovely natural sweetness to it which balances nicely against the spicy Thai red curry, creamy coconut milk, and lime juice.
I hope you love this healthy, delicious, easily customize-able Thai roasted butternut squash soup. If you do try it, give me a holler at @yupitsvegan or #yupitsvegan on Instagram, or let me know in the comments. Cheers!
Thai Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
For the roasted butternut squash puree:
- 2 medium butternut squash halved and seeded
- olive oil salt, and pepper
For the tamari-roasted walnuts and almonds (optional):
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or other chili sauce (optional/to taste)
For the Thai roasted butternut squash soup:
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 shallots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inches ginger minced or grated
- 1 small red chili seeds and pith removed, finely chopped (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 (12-oz.) can full-fat coconut milk (1 and 1/2 cups)
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth plus more as needed
- roasted butternut squash puree (about 3 cups, see above)
- 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
- salt to taste
- tamari-roasted walnuts and almonds (see above), to serve (optional)
- chopped green onions or scallions to serve
Instructions
For the roasted butternut squash puree:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prick the butternut squash halves deeply all over with a fork. Rub them with a light coating of oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet.
- Cook the squash, rotating the baking sheet occasionally, until the squash is very tender, about 70 minutes (cook time will vary depending on the size and shape of your squash).
- Once cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the squash and transfer it to a food processor, then blend until smooth. (If needed to help blend, you can add a little of the coconut milk or broth for the soup). My puree measured about 3 cups.
For the tamari-roasted walnuts and almonds:
- Add the chopped nuts and coconut oil to a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir and cook until the nuts are nicely coated with the coconut oil.
- Add the soy sauce and sriracha. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts are roasted and the excess liquid is gone.
For the Thai roasted butternut squash soup:
- Warm the coconut oil in the bottom of a saucepan. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook for about 2 minutes, until the shallot is softened. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and chili, and cook for 60 to 90 seconds more, until fragrant.
- If using the ground spices, stir them in and cook for just about 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the Thai red curry paste and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the curry paste is coating all of the aromatics and darkened slightly in color.
- Add the coconut milk, vegetable broth, and butternut squash puree. Stir until everything is combined (you may need to be gentle to avoid splashing, as the squash puree can be quite thick). Bring the soup to a boil and then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot throughout. Stir in lime juice, and add salt to taste.
- Serve hot, garnished with the roasted nuts, and chopped scallions. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Recipe Notes
3 cups of pumpkin puree should be a good substitution for the butternut squash.
Nutrition data excludes the nut topping.
More comforting pureed soup recipes from my site:
Samosa Soup (Indian Spiced Potato Soup)
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Oh, that sounds delicious !
This sounds like a fantastic twist on standard pumpkin soup. So many amazing flavours in one bowl!
I have this simmering on the Stove now. Delicious! I will make again.