Lets make this Easy Spicy Winter Squash Soup with warming spices to give you a boost on a cold Winters Day.
Hi!! It’s been a while, but rather than go on ad nauseum about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing, I’d much rather put my head down and talk about this recipe I’ve been making for years on end. Learn more about me here.
About the squash…..
I am an avid gardener and am proud to say that I have grown so many different squash this year!
So you can imagine, I had to come up with some recipes pretty quickly, in order to use up these beauties. This easy spicy winter squash soup is the first of many to come! The green knobbly ones were purely for decoration of course, and the kids used them up to decorate around the house for Halloween. The rest are a mix of Spaghetti Squash, Uchiki Kuri, Delicata and Jack Be Little. There’s probably a few more in there too but if I’m honest, I can’t remember them all.
About the ingredients……
I am a nightmare of a cook – I don’t measure or weigh anything unless I am baking. But I have made a special effort for you today in the hope that I can make it easier for you to attempt this recipe. But you need to know that the amounts don’t matter at all. Add whatever quantities you have on hand and don’t be afraid to swap out for different vegetables. See the list of variations below too to give you more inspiration.
This time of year I only want warm, comforting food and if it’s easy to prepare, all the better. My family love this recipe too so that helps, and it means I’m getting vegetables into the kids voluntarily – win, win!! And while I have grown or made all the ingredients for this soup, except the butter and curry powder, these ingredients are all easy to find in the shop and also, very affordable.
The quantity of this recipe will feed a crowd. I tend to cook in bulk for the most part these days because it means leftovers and therefore a break from the cooking. Although I love to cook, I do like to get a break every now and again. You can make half or quarter the recipe, or you can freeze the leftovers, or do what I like to do and just put the leftovers in the fridge for another day. Some weeks, I deliberately assign a day for eating leftovers. I take all out and put it on the counter and we all pick out what we want, and heat it up in the microwave or in the multicooker/air fryer, depending on the dish.
Winter Squash
There are a great variety of squash available in the shops now. You can use your favourite. I recommend Butternut Squash, Red Kuri, Acorn, & Uchiki Kuri but you can even use your leftover carved pumpkins if they’re still fresh. I’m using these Turk’s Turban squash that I rescued from the garden after a hard frost. If I didn’t use them up fairly fast, they would rot pretty quickly and I hate wasting the food that I’ve put so much work into growing.
Curry powder
Any blend of curry powder is fine – it can be simply called curry powder or you can use a specific blend for korma, madras etc if you prefer. If you’re looking for a bargain on curry powder, head to your local Asian supermarket for a freshly ground and blended curry powder. Note that freshly ground and even newly purchased spices will be much more pungent than the spices that have been lying in the back of the press for 12 months so bear that in mind when you’re deciding what quantity to add.
Stock
I am using homemade chicken stock. I have been on a craze for the last 12 months or so of making and canning my own stocks. Now it’s not that I just love to give myself hardship, there are many benefits to making your own stock besides the superior flavour. I am learning more and more about the medicinal and nutritional benefits of homemade stocks and bone broths, but that can be for another day. If you wish to use stock cubes there is no judgement here – I can’t stress enough that you make this recipe suit you. If using stock cubes you will likely need less salt – just keep tasting as you go.
And the rest……
All the rest of the ingredients I view as basic staples that you could likely have in the fridge, but they are easily picked up in the supermarket or farmers market and are in season at this time of year.
Easy Spicy Winter Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Squash
- 50 g Butter
- 1 Leek
- 3 Large Onion
- ½ Head Celery
- 6 Carrots
- 3 Large Potatoes
- 6-12 tbsp Curry Powder
- 2.5 L Stock vegetable or chicken*
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Firstly, halve the squash, remove the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 190C for 45mins to an hour. Or until a knife slides through the flesh easily. Remove and allow to cool enough to scoop out the flesh.
- While the squash is roasting, roughly chop all the remaining vegetables – no need to be fussy, this will all get pureed in the end.
- Add butter to a large saucepan and add vegetables to saute as they are chopped, keeping them stirred regularly.
- Add the curry powder to taste and fry for 4 to 5 minutes before adding the stock.
- Add in the flesh of the squash and some salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 20 minutes and all the vegetables are soft.
- Puree using a stick blender or in small batches in a food processor. Check for seasoning and serve with crusty bread.
Notes
YouTube
You can check out my video making a similar recipe below or click here to take you to my channel.
