Simple Curried Butternut Squash Bisque
Butternut Squash Bisque is one of my favorite soups, and luckily it’s super easy to make. I’ve been making it for about ten years now, ever since we went to spend Thanksgiving at the beach with my family and I set out to find the perfect squash soup to bring along and share with them. After a lot of testing I came up with this recipe, which is very versatile and easily adapted. This soup is so easy and comforting – perfect for a dreary fall day, silky smooth and creamy even without dairy.
Curried Butternut Squash Bisque
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 red onion (large, about 2 cups chopped)
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS curry powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Slice the squash in half lengthwise, empty out the seeds from the hollows and place face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tinfoil (to make cleanup easier). Bake for about 40 minutes until the squash is soft when poked with a fork. Remove it from the oven and when its cool enough to handle scrape out the squash from the peel and set it aside.
3. Chop the red onion into pieces (since you’ll be pureeing the soup later you don’t need to worry about having a neat uniform dice).
4. In a heavy soup pot (I like to use a dutch oven) heat the olive oil over medium high heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until the onion has softened and started to brown.
5. Once the onion is cooked, add the curry powder and cook for a minute or so, stirring so it won’t burn.
6. Next add the squash and the water, stirring well. Allow the soup to boil gently for a few minutes – since everything is already cooked you don’t need to cook it too long at this step though. You might need to add more water, depending on how big the squash was to start.
7. Now you need to puree the soup. I love using an immersion blender for this, because you can do it right in the pan while the soup is still quite hot. If you’re using a regular blender you might want to let the soup cool down some so you don’t blow the top off the blender (ask me how I know this). Return the soup to the pot, heat it up again and you’re done!
Now this is the simple, easy, straightforward version – here are some ways to adapt it to make it even better:
- The recipe as written is vegan, but it tastes great if you use chicken stock instead of water.
- When you roast the squash, try chopping the top off of a head of garlic so the cloves are exposed and sticking it under one of the squash hollows to roast – when the squash is done you’ll have a head of mild, nutty creamy roast garlic that you can squeeze right into the soup when you add the squash.
- Use a bit less water and add a half cup or so of coconut milk to the soup – you’ll have Curried Coconut Squash Bisque.
- Add a small can of diced green chiles before pureeing, or saute a mild chile along with the onions for a spicy kick.
One Comment on “Simple Curried Butternut Squash Bisque”
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First off I have to say I love the name of your blog. I love creating things and think everyone should make something every day even if it’s just making someone else smile. And second, this recipe looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing on the weekend re-Treat link party!
Britni @ Play. Party. Pin.