I cut this soup recipe out of the Ottawa Citizen newspaper many years ago – and it’s been one of my favorites ever since. The coconut milk makes it so rich and creamy and the cilantro (fresh coriander) and lime give it such a fresh, summer-taste, any time of the year.
I veganized the original recipe by using vegetable broth instead of chicken, and garnishing with additional coconut milk (or Tofutti sour cream) instead of dairy-based sour cream. I also significantly increased the spices, cilantro, and lime juice because I didn’t find them to be strong enough.
Notes:
- I normally don’t peel butternut squash before roasting it – I find that it’s easier to remove the peel after it’s roasted and cooled-off for about 10 minutes
- This soup freezes very well, so if I’m only making this for two, I serve half now, and then freeze the other half for later
- Also, when you scrape out the seeds of the butternut squash, don’t toss them out! Like pumpkin seeds, they’re great lightly roasted in the oven – and if you like a little crunch in your soup, they make a nice garnish as well! I’ve included directions for roasting the seeds below.
Roasted Butternut Squash, Lime & Coconut Soup
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This brightly colored vegan soup, with fragrant coconut fresh coriander (cilantro) and lime will chase those blues away! Vegan / Gluten-Free / Freezer-Friendly
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 8 C /2 L (850g) butternut squash, diced (one average-sized butternut squash should be fine – I rarely measure this out)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 20 oz (600 ml) vegetable stock
- ¼ C cilantro, chopped and divided
- 2 tsp finely chopped jalapeño (optional)
- 10 oz (295 ml) coconut milk
- 1 lime, juiced
- salt & pepper, to taste
- Garnish: vegan sour cream, additional coconut milk, roasted squash seeds (see instructions below)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Toss squash with 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread squash onto cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil, cumin and coriander and stir frequently for about 3 minutes.
- Add onion and cook 5 minutes, until clear, then add broth.
- Remove peel from squash if not already done, then add to pot along with half the cilantro and the jalapeño, if using.
- Simmer gently for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Stir in 1 cup of the coconut milk, as well as the lime juice.
- Using an immersion blender, carefully puree until smooth. Season with salt & pepper. Garnish with coconut milk or vegan sour cream, and remaining cilantro.
Roasting pumpkin or squash seeds
- Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
- Before the pulp has dried on the seeds, rinse them under cool water and discard the pulp.
- If desired, toss the seeds with a drizzle of oil and sprinkle of salt.
- Spread the seeds out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in oven for 20 minutes, tossing them around at the 10-minute mark.
Notes
Adapted from a recipe in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. Makes 7 cups (1.75 L)
This looks really nice, I find tomato based soups very heavy for the summer but as you said with the fresh herbs, this one would be quite nice to have all year round, esp with the lime and corriander! That’s a good tip for the butternut squash seeds, i must remember that next time.
Hi Preeti – thanks for your comments. I really like this soup because it truly is great all year – the fresh tropical taste is yummy in the summer… but it’s also a nice pick-me-up during cold winter months. The seeds are super yummy… I had to stop myself from eating them all to save them for the soup!
Wow–that really looks phenomenal! I’m adding this to my must-try list!
Thanks for your comment – it’s definitely one of my all-time favorites, maybe tying with the pesto minestrone… Let me know when you try it! :)
I made this for dinner tonight, but used 1 large rutabaga instead of squash. Unbelievable! I did not expect the flavours to work so well together. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!! I’m off to my second helping now…
Hi Debbie, I’m so happy that you liked this soup and that your creative swap worked out for you. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and provide your feedback! :)
This sounds wonderful! Going to try this for the holidays.
Thanks Shannon – It’s one of my all-time favorites, let me know if you try it :)
I just made this soup. oh.my.God. This is unreal. I was hoping this soup would last me for about a week but I think it’s gonna disappear soon. I added a tiny bit of maple syrup and curry powder.
I was gonna add cashews to make it a little creamier but after I blended this, it wasn’t even necessary. Might even be able to reduce some of the coconut milk or use a lighter version. So creamy. That’s all I ask of my butternut squash!
Thank you so much for sharing. I will be checking out the rest of your recipes.
Hi Elena – So glad you liked this, it’s definitely one of my favorites. I like your additions too, will try that. Thanks for getting in touch & let me know what else you try :)
Another excellent recipe! Love the silkiness of the coconut milk.
Awesome, glad you liked it!!
This is a low carb soup?!
Hi Rita – it’s Low Carb as in low in refined/processed carbs. See my description of this tag here: http://www.vegangela.com/tag/low-carb/