Butternut squash soup, with a kick
In our home, autumn is for cosying up by the fire; with a book, heartwarming film, or a mug of something hot. And so, during the coming chillier months I opt for faff-free dinners that are wholesome & filling, but with flavours to impress guests, too. This is a simple soup that can be made in bulk and stored for ease throughout the week.
This recipe is enough for 2 servings (and perhaps a leftover for lunch, depending on how hungry you are)
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed & chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
450ml vegetable stock
a good drizzle of olive oil
1 knob of butter
3 tbsp creme fraiche, plus a little more for finishing
I tend to cook this soup in my Ninja Soup Maker (the best purchase ever), which makes it much simpler. You simply add the onion, garlic, & olive oil, and select ‘chop’. Once done, hit ‘sauté’. Then add the butternut squash, chilli, paprika, thyme, butter and stock, and set to ‘cook’ on high, for 30 minutes. Once done, blend on high before adding creme fraiche.
The recipe
Add a knob of butter to a large saucepan or cast iron dish, and once melted, mix in your onion & garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes or so, until softened. Add a drizzle of olive oil, quickly followed by your diced butternut squash. Stir continuously for a few minutes.
Next, add chilli, paprika & thyme to the mix, and stir thoroughly. Then, add the vegetable stock and bring the pan to the boil. At this stage, I usually add a good amount of salt and pepper for seasoning. Cover the pan and leave to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes or so.
Once all ingredients are soft and steamy, turn the heat off, and blend the mixture using a hand blender, or transfer the contents to a blender if you’d rather. Once smooth, add three spoonfuls of creme fraiche, and quickly blitz again with the mixer. Taste and season if necessary.
Serve the soup in bowls with dollops of creme fraiche, a drizzle of oil, and a crack of pepper (sometimes the soup can be a little spicy, so add a dollop more of creme fraiche to cool, whilst eating, if needed). Enjoy!
