I think I’ve mentioned my penchant for all things spicy and sweet. This soup is the perfect example. It’s full of flavor and comes together so easily. I’ve been making a batch of curried butternut squash and apple soup every couple of weeks over the last few months and I was ready for a bit of a change. I loved the extra little kick the Thai chili peppers added and felt this changed up my soup game just the perfect little bit. Feel free to take them out if you are not crazy about spicy food.
The gorgeous creamy texture of this soup can be attributed to my Vitamix blender. You can use a regular blender or handheld as well. It will still taste just great! Just don’t expect it to look as smooth.
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2½ lb butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 medium gala apple, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" pieces
- 2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
- ¼ tsp curry powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1-2 Thai chili peppers
- OPTIONAL GARNISH
- ½ cup fancy grade coconut flakes
- 1tsp sambal oelek
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Heat oil In a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium and add butternut squash, apple and shallots. Season with curry powder, salt and pepper. Sweat the vegetables for about 8-10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until beginning to release juices and soften. Be careful not to brown them and adjust temperature to medium-low, if needed.
- Add vegetable stock, shredded coconut and thai chili peppers to the pot. Add water, if needed to just cover the vegetables, raise heat to high, bring to a boil. Add lid to partially cover and reduce temperature to simmer, about 30-35 minutes, adding water, if needed, until vegetables are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
- In the meantime, heat oven to 325 degrees and toast coconut flakes for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. In a small bowl, whisk sambal oelek and olive oil together.
- Remove Thai chili peppers, carefully pour soup into Vitamin or blender (in batches, if needed) and puree. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed and add garnish. Poor into bowls and garnish with chili oil and toasted coconut flakes.
Absolutely delicious! I made this today and it did not disappoint. The coconut and spice flavour go well together. Thanks for sharing.