We literally just remade this soup in a quest for new flavor combinations. First things are the main ingredients are all seasoned and then roasted before being added to the pot along with some stock. If you are lucky, your grocery store sell butternut squash already peeled, cleaned and cubed otherwise make sure your knives are very sharp. There are a few extra twists in this recipe like the full fat coconut milk and the gochujang added towards the end. Both give the classic soup a new lease on life and is sure to brighten your Spring.
Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
Olive oil
Cayenne, to taste
1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt
Pepper
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 cups chicken stock
8 ounces full fat coconut milk
1 – 2 tablespoons gochujang, use less for less heat
2 cups pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon cayenne
Greek yogurt
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
In a large bowl, add the butternut squash and carrots. Drizzle them with just enough olive oil to coat then sprinkle on the cayenne, giving everything a good toss followed by a good pinch of salt and pepper. Place on the prepared sheet pan along with the onion and slide the onion, cut side down, into the oil and cayenne just to lightly coat. Into the oven it goes and roast until fork tender, about 25 minutes. At the 10-minute mark, toss the garlic in with everything else and use a spatula to lightly stir the ingredients. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a 6-quart Dutch oven, add all the roasted veggies along with the stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. After 15 minutes, use an immersion blender to puree the contents of the pot. You want a smooth consistency here so don’t skimp on the blending.
Once the soup is smooth, stir in your coconut milk and the gochujang. If your gochujang is older, you may need to pull a ladle of soup out of the pot and then mix the gochujang until well blended then add back to the rest. Let simmer another 10 minutes then adjust the seasoning to your liking.
While the soup is cooking, let’s make the toasted pumpkin seeds. In a bowl, add the seeds and drizzle on a little olive oil while constantly turning them to get them evenly coated. Continue stirring them as you add the garlic powder, then the onion powder and finally the cayenne. Heat a nonstick medium skillet over medium-high heat and roast the seeds until done. You will hear them start to pop as they warm up and they are done when the popping sounds slow down. Alternatively, you can always pull a few out and taste them to confirm they are done. Sprinkle toasted seeds with salt and set aside until ready to use.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls then top with a dollop of Greek yogurt followed by a good sprinkling of the pumpkin seeds. Serve to your family and friends and watch them be very impressed.