Happy new year! I hope you all had a great one. Thanks for your patience with my very sporadic posting lately - I had a day of travelling, a day of partying, a day of recovering, and suddenly without me even realising, it's the third of January (2014, not 2013 as I keep writing on things and almost certainly will for the next few weeks, at least).
The big news over in the Amuse Your Bouche camp is that a few friends and I are going vegan for the whole month of January (which you will probably know already if you follow me over on Facebook, hint hint)! None of us have any intentions of being vegan permanently, but we like a personal challenge, and I'm looking forward to needing to use my head a bit to think of interesting vegan dinner ideas! So for the next month, I will only be posting vegan recipes here on the blog. I know a few of you might turn your noses up a little at veganism but I promise they'll all be great!
I'm already vegetarian, so you might think that making the final step to veganism shouldn't be too difficult for me, but considering the amount of cheese I usually eat, I think I might find it tricky after a while. So far, so good, though! I'm hoping that this challenge might also help a little with January's usual 'healthy eating' resolutions, since I can't smother everything I cook in cheese (sob!).
This butternut squash soup has definitely been my favourite vegan creation so far. It's thick and creamy, with coconut milk and smoked paprika to lend a gorgeous sweet smokiness. I also added some red lentils - they give a different texture and some added protein, plus they help to keep you full for longer. They worked really well in this soup.
I cooked my red lentils separately from the soup, and only added them once I'd blended the soup to be nice and smooth, but that was only because I thought it would look pretty to serve the chunky lentils in the smooth soup. If you'd prefer to cook it all together and blend the whole thing, I'm sure that would be great too - plus it'll save you washing up an extra pan! To be honest, laziness usually prevails in my kitchen, so that's probably what I'll do next time.
I can't get over how pretty this soup is! Sorry for the slight abundance of photos - I sort of couldn't stop snapping. I think I automatically enjoy something more if it looks good (and it doesn't hurt that it tastes amazing too), so I quite happily slurped up a nice big bowlful of this soup for my lunch. Another successful vegan meal down, 85 more to go! Feel free to share any great vegan recipes with me that you think I should have a go at this month!
📖 Printable Recipe
Smoky coconut and butternut squash soup
If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, sliced or diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 400 g butternut squash flesh, diced (around half a medium squash)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- Black pepper
- 100 g red lentils
- 150 ml coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and cook the onion, garlic and squash over a medium heat until the onion is soft, around 5 minutes. Add the paprika, and cook for one more minute, then add the vegetable stock. Season well with black pepper (you might need a little salt too if you used low sodium stock), and bring to a simmer. Cook until the squash is soft, around 15 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, boil the lentils in a separate pan until they are soft – again, around 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- When the butternut squash is soft, blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the coconut milk, and once the soup is piping hot, serve the lentils with the soup poured over the top. Top with chopped coriander if desired.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
If you like butternut squash, you might also like this cheesy roasted squash lasagne with spinach and walnut pesto:
Rachel says
This soup is top notch! I've made a double batch of it, twice, and we're going to polish off the last of the leftovers tonight.
It's really amazing if you put in just a bit of curry powder. Goes perfectly with the coconut flavor and adds just a touch of heat. This recipe is a keeper for sure. :)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks for the lovely feedback Rachel :) Curry powder sounds like a great addition!
Clarissa says
Yes...extreme deliciousness and I'm going to add curry next time! :)
Jane says
Made a double batch of this last night and what a hit! So good. I hope you stuck with being vegan because it is the kind and compassionate way to live.
Dana says
I just found this recipe via Pinterest today and promptly made a batch. Simply divine. Mine doesn't look as pretty as yours, but so tasty! I doubled the recipe because I had so much squash and I am so glad I did for the abundance of leftovers I have... If I can stop eating it!! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes :D
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Dana! Hope you find something else you like as much :)
Charlotte says
This was so so delicious :) thank you! I added a generous amount of coriander seed (toasted and ground) in with the paprika and used creamed coconut (because it's a purer product I find it has a better flavour) added in after the squash had cooked instead of milk x
Wendy says
I just made this soup and it is delicious. I used leftover squash that had already been baked and mashed. The soup isn't smoky because I didn't have smoky paprika -- just used the sweet kind -- but it is still fantastic. I drizzled some coconut milk (as shown in your picture) and sprinkled paprika over the top. Thank you so much for the recipe. I will be making it again and again.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I'm so glad you liked it Wendy!! Try it with smoked paprika next time :)
Wendy says
I will. Do you have a favorite brand of smoked paprika? I was thinking of ordering Chiquillin (made in Spain).
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I actually just use the generic supermarket brand that's just called 'smoked paprika', but if you want to use something a bit fancier I'm sure that would be even better! :)
Lynne Gill says
Oh my goodness! You could gorge on this and never tire of it. I rinsed my lentils and cooked them with the squash to be honest, and it worked perfectly. Squash, lentils, coconut milk - a marriage made in heaven! (OK, an open relationship ....)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Yay I'm glad you liked it! I don't blame you for cooking them together - that's probably what I'll do next time, I just thought it might look pretty for the photos! :)
Claire Gallam says
This soup is GORGEOUS!!!!
Karly says
What a gorgeous bowl of soup! I know it would warm you right up and taste amazing! Thanks for linking up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
Sandy says
I made this last night. Sort of. There were no lentils in my supermarket (useless building) or coriander (i just...what?!) but I got everything else! Added carrots to the soup too. Served it up to my parents after dinner and they both thought it was good ^_^. Thank-you!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Carrots sound like a great addition! Thanks Sandy :)
Adelina Priddis says
OH MY HECK! You are going to turn me vegetarian if I keep looking at all these photos and read everything you say! And I like my meat...and my cheese, lol.
This soup sounds like such a nice change from what we've been having. It's headed to the menu this week! Thank you again for sharing it on Foodie Friday
oh and...I love your blog name!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Haha well you could always just add a few meatless meals into your diet even if you didn't want to go full veggie :) hope you enjoy the soup!!