Thai Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup

We”re nearing the end of soup season (which, to me, runs roughly mid-October through late-February) so I need to cram in some new recipes while I still have the chance! My two favorite types of soups are Asian-inspired, particularly Thai, and squash-based. So when my friend sent me a recipe on Pinterest incorporating both, I was IN. (And yeah I pinned it to my Soup-specific board, duh)

This fabulous recipe originally comes from the lovely blog Carlsbad Cravings. While I”ve made Thai-spiced butternut and/or sweet potato soups before, the addition of sriracha-roasted pumpkin seeds on top really brings this one to a whole other level. Actually, she used butternut squash seeds, but I had a bunch of naked pumpkin Superseedz in the pantry so I decided to use those and it came out great. Perfect if you are using pre-chunked or frozen butternut squash versus the whole gourd. (Which I actually was, too… pre-cut packaged organic squash because I was running late after work! No shame in my game on a busy weeknight.) I amped up the spice in this a bit and cut down the fat by using light coconut milk, and the result was absolute heaven.

Thai Butternut Squash Coconut Soup with Honey Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds

Adapted from Thai Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, & Carrot Soup with Roasted Honey Sriracha Seeds on Carlsbad Cravings

 

Soup
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup red curry paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
8 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups uncooked butternut squash, cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cubed
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
2 tablespoons lime juice
Sriracha to taste
Salt & casino online pepper to taste

Sriracha Butternut Squash Seeds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds (or reserved butternut squash seeds if you fancy)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon salt

Garnishes:
Freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Drizzle of Sriracha

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking tray or metal cake pan with foil and spray with coconut oil cooking spray. Whisk together seed coating and stir  in pumpkin seeds until evenly coated. Spread seeds out evenly on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes until they”re crisp and caramelized but not burning (obv).

Melt coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once melted, add, onions and sauté until onions are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add red curry paste, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic. Stir in your onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Meanwhile, dry roast peanuts in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden. Once they reach that point (shouldn”t take long), remove them from the heat, roughly chop, and set aside for later.

Once the vegetables have softened through, grab your trusty immersion blender and get to blendin”! If you don”t have an immersion blender, first things first, what are you doing? Get one. But until then… you can transfer this to a traditional blender or food processor. It”s a lot messier than an immersion blender, though. I”m telling you.

After your soup is thoroughly blended, add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and basil and cook until soup is heated through. Taste one final time and add lime juice, sriracha, and salt & pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with your favorite combination of fresh lime juice, ground peanuts, cilantro, and/or those delicious honey-sriracha pumpkin seeds!