Thai-Inspired Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
This ultra-silky Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup recipe is infused with Thai flavors like green curry paste, coconut milk, and a splash of fish sauce. Best part? It is super easy! Made with fresh carrots and frozen butternut squash it comes together in about 30 minutes.
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Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon green curry paste
- 1 quart vegetable stock or broth
- 2 1/2 cups frozen butternut squash
- 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 1/2 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
- chili oil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or other big pot. Add 1 chopped onion and 1 1/2 pounds chopped carrots and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are beginning to brown.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger and 1 tablespoon green curry paste and stir until ginger begins to brown. Add the 1 quart of vegetable stock and stir, scraping any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, then add the butternut squash.
- Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook, until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat then add the can of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Stir to combine.
- Ladle soup into blender about halfway full. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or rag you don't mind getting dirty and while holding the towel down with one hand, turn blender on low. Slowly increase blender speed until mixture is smooth. Repeat until all soup is pureed. You can also use an immersion blender, if you have one, to puree the soup right in the pot.
- Return to pot and bring to a simmer. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped cilantro, a few pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of chili oil, if you'd like.
Notes
- Freezing: This carrot and squash soup is also very freezer-friendly! To freeze, transfer cooled soup to an airtight freezer container. (are my absolute favorite!) Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight & reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Storage & Reheating: This soup gets even better as it sits! Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Prep ahead: The only real prep here is dicing the onion, carrots, and ginger. Take care of this in advance & store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It takes 10 minutes, tops, & with the prep work done, you can jump straight into cooking at dinnertime!
- Fish sauce: This is a pungent sauce that is very common in Thai cooking. It smells very strong but its flavor mellows out with cooking. If you'd like to make this a vegan recipe you can use vegan fish sauce instead.