On a cold, winter evening, soup is the perfect meal to warm you up and fill that belly. It is also a great way to pack your dinner full of veg! There are so many great soup options, but one of my favourite has always been butternut soup. This soup is a Thai spiced butternut soup with lentils and a little bit of a bite.
To add in some protein, fibre and make it more filling, I have added lentils to the mix. I don’t always add lentils as I don’t tolerate legumes all that well, but I still try to have them when I can. But if you are making this as a starter, you can leave out the lentils (and leave out 2 cups of water with the stock, adding more as needed). Alternatively, you could add some lean shredded chicken breast, or even chickpeas.
This dish can accommodate a few different extra veg varieties, which is great if you don’t have all of the ingredients in your fridge. It’s one of the best things about soup. It’s so versatile. Usually, butternut soup only contains onion and butternut as the vegetable. But adding most orange and yellow veg options will work (as long as the amount is less than the butternut if you still want it to be called butternut soup!). I have added yellow pepper and carrot to this soup, but you could stir in some spinach (once blended) if you want some green veg added to the mix.
Recipe details for Thai-Spiced Butternut Soup
Serving size: Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut, diced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped (optional)
- 1 brown onion
- 1 tsp rapeseed oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp red curry paste (2 spoons for more spice)- alternatively use 1 Tbsp curry powder & 1tsp turmeric powder)
- 1 cup lentils
- 3 cups low salt vegetable stock
- 1 cup coconut milk (carton, not can)
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/2 lime, squeezed
- Seeds for garnish
- Thai basil or coriander for garnish
- Bread or pita to serve
Method
Step 1: Add the rapeseed oil to a large pot, and smear it around using a piece of kitchen towel so the pot is coated, but not saturated in oil. Turn on your stovetop, and once heated, add the onion and garlic and cook for roughly 3 minutes until slightly soft.
Step 2: Next, add in the ginger and red curry paste (or curry powder and turmeric if you are using this instead), cook for a further 3 minutes and then add the butternut, carrot and yellow pepper (if using). Stir until these are coated with the curry paste or powder.
Step 3: Add the lentils, veg stock and coconut milk, and stir. Cover up with the lid and let this simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, until lentils and veg softened.
Step 4: Once the soup mixture is cooked, add this to a blender for a smooth texture, being careful not to burn yourself with the hot liquid and steam. You can leave this completely chunky, or blend half of the mixture and add it back to the pot for a semi-textured option. Add black pepper and salt (if needed)
Step 5: Stir in some lime juice and garnish with Thai basil, or fresh coriander, and seeds. Serve with fresh bread or pita.
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