The Most Comforting Butternut Squash Soup for (Ridiculously) Cold Days

A guest post by Susan on Chasing Foxes.

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It’s finally starting to get that extra bit chilly here in the United Kingdom. Goodbye to thin trench coats and sunny fall days…and hello to the season of Winter!

As soon as it drops down to the cooler temperatures, I throw on my wooly, thick socks and whip out the hot water bottle!

But, one of my favorite ways to fight back the winter chill is a nice bowl of warming, nourishing soup, just like the one I’m sharing today; my vegan butternut squash soup.

This butternut squash soup is absolutely delicious and very simple to make. It also has some of my favorite ingredients in it namely, butternut squash, thyme, coconut milk, garlic, a scotch bonnet (which really takes this recipe up a notch), and much more!

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Side Note: Scotch bonnet is a type of spicy pepper. But if you don’t like spice, then feel free to not add it. 🙂

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The texture of this soup is silky smooth making it a great accompaniment to crusty, warm bread (with butter of course!) Aside from roasting the butternut squash (which actually makes cooking the butternut squash soup easier), this recipe can be made in one single pot, allowing clean-up to be easy.

This soup also serves 6 people and takes 45-50 minutes to make, which means it is a suitable lunch option for the family at your fingertips.

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Serves: 6 People
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• Butternut squash (1KG or 2.2 ib)
• Coconut oil or other neutral oil (1Tbs)
• Onions (1)
• Garlic (4 Cloves)
• Vegetable stock (5 Cups)
• Scotch bonnet (1) (Optional)
• Bundle of thyme (Approx 10 strands wrapped in butcher’s string)
• Apples (2)
• Coconut milk (1 Cup) (Or any type of milk you prefer)

Method

As you can see, listed here are all simple, everyday ingredients. And simple ingredients (in season) equal a flavorful meal.

1. First up, cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds with an ice cream scoop, season with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and place in the oven for 50 minutes (until soft).
2. While that is cooking, you can get on with the base of the soup.
3. Cut up the onion and garlic and throw into the pot with some coconut oil. Cook until translucent.
4. Add 5 cups of vegetable stock to the pot.
5. Add approximately 10 strands of thyme, tied with some butcher’s string.
6. Chop up the apples and place them in the soup base also.
7. Place scotch bonnet in the soup base, whole (leave out if not a fan of spice).
8. Simmer for 20 minutes then keep on low until the butternut squash is ready.
9. After 50 minutes of the butternut squash cooking, it should be ready to take out. Grab your ice cream scoop again to scoop out the butternut squash flesh and put it into the soup base.
10. Pour 1 cup of coconut milk into the soup.
11. Pour soup base into a high-speed blender, adding only half of the scotch bonnet (again, omit if you do not like spice).
12. Blend blend blend!
13. Serve with a crusty piece of bread and butter.
14. For garnish, I love to use any plant-based cream, parsley, and some black sesame seeds.

Recipe Notes

• Spice: If you are not a fan of spice, please omit the scotch bonnet. But, if you are daring – keep it! I love the taste of scotch bonnet; it adds such a depth of flavor compared to other peppers.
• Freezer friendly? It sure is and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
• Consistency of soup: I did say to use 1kg (or 2.2 ib.) of butternut squash, but for those who accidentally use more or end up with a thicker soup, instead of adding more water, add additional vegetable stock so that the soup does not lose its taste.

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So there you have it, a vegan creamy butternut squash soup. If you cook this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment or rate the recipe and don’t forget to tag #theflexiblefridge on Instagram.

Also don’t forget to come and say hi to us at TheFlexibleFridge.com and see our other recipes. Thanks, friends!