23/12/2023
Slow-Cooker Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
A simmering pot of soup on a chilly fall afternoon is the recipe for a cozy meal. The day is made even better when the soup is ridiculously easy and makes your house smell amazing. This vegan butternut squash soup is made in a slow cooker, so after you chop up all your vegetables, it’s essentially hands-off. A quick blitz with an immersion blender at the end, and you’ve got a silky, drinkable butternut squash soup.
The flavor profile is borrowed from a traditional Thai curry. The squash is simmered with aromatics like garlic, ginger, red curry paste, and lime. Red curry paste can be found in a jar or can at most grocery stores and online. It’s a concentrated blend of chiles, garlic, lime, and other spices that packs a punch. You don’t need a ton in this recipe, but the good news is that curry paste keeps for a very long time in the refrigerator.
Coconut milk is what gives this soup creaminess without the use of dairy. You’re looking for canned unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, which can be found in most grocery stores.
Chopped cilantro is a great garnish that gives the soup a fresh hit at the end. But here are some other fun garnishes you could experiment with that would be equally delicious:
• Toasted coconut chips
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Fried shallots
• Additional coconut milk
• Chili oil
You can refrigerate the vegan butternut squash soup for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Did you make this soup? How did it go?
Ingredients
1 (13.5-oz.) can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
4 c. low-sodium vegetable stock
1 (2 lb.) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
2 shallots, peeled, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 (2") piece ginger, peeled, minced or grated
1 tbsp. red curry paste
Kosher salt
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving
Directions
Step 1
Reserve 2 tablespoons coconut milk for drizzling; set aside.
Step 2
In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the remaining coconut milk, stock, squash, carrots, shallots, garlic, ginger, curry paste, and 1 tablespoon salt.
Step 3
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, until vegetables are very tender.
Step 4
Add lime zest and juice. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until very smooth. (Alternatively, ladle soup into a standard blender and blend until smooth, working in batches if necessary.)
Step 5
Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with reserved coconut milk. Top with cilantro.
