Yesterday I shared a recipe for the steakhouse-favorite creamed spinach. It’s a classic dish; traditional comfort food that would be welcome on any Thanksgiving table. Today I’m spicing things up with this curried coconut and acorn squash soup.
I find acorn squash to be somewhat bland on its own, but that makes it the perfect vegetable to dress up with bold flavors. Take my recipe for Baked Acorn Squash with Miso Butter and Walnuts or look no further than the traditional preparation of roasting acorn squash with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. In this recipe, curry powder, balanced with coconut milk, makes roasted acorn squash sing in a soup that looks and tastes like fall.
Roasting the acorn squash, sweet potato, and carrots prior to adding them to the soup makes for an extra step, but the effort is worth it. Roasting concentrates the flavor in these vegetables and makes a big difference in the final dish. Don’t skip this step.
You’ll also not want to skimp on the garnish. Toasted almonds with toasted unsweetened coconut flakes really pull everything together and make for a truly memorable soup. If you are thinking about serving this as a first course during your Thanksgiving dinner be forewarned that it might steal the show. Happy cooking!
____
10 Days of Vegetable Sides Recipes
Day 1: Creamed Spinach
Day 2: This Recipe
Day 3: Savory Leek and Onion Bread Pudding
Day 4: Maple-Dijon Brussels Sprouts with Country Ham
Day 5: Winter Greens with Garlic and Bacon
Day 6: Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Day 7: Beet Chutney with Apples and Spices
Day 8: Braised Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic
Day 9: Mom’s Potato Casserole
____
More recipes featuring Acorn Squash and other Winter Squash
Baked Acorn Squash with Miso Butter and Walnuts
Butternut Squash, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup with Star Anise
Roasted Pumpkin with Sage, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon
____
Curried Coconut & Acorn Squash Soup – Printer Friendly Recipe
Serves 6
Butternut Squash soup has long been my favorite fall soup, but I think things might have changed with this soup. Coconut and curry powder pair beautifully with roasted acorn squash to make a soup that will leave you and your guests scraping the bowl for that very last spoonful.
3 1/2 to 4 lbs acorn squash
1 small (about 1/2 lb) sweet potato, pierced with a fork
2 carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups homemade or less-sodium store-bought chicken broth, more to thin soup
1 1/3 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
Garnish: 1/4 cup toasted almonds, 1/3 cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard the seeds and pulp with a metal spoon. Brush the acorn squash halves with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place acorn squash halves, cut side up, on a large baking sheet. Pierce the sweet potato a couple of times with the tines of a fork and set it on the baking sheet. Toss the carrot pieces in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Add them to the baking sheet as well.
Bake everything for 1 hour or until all of the vegetables are tender. Allow the vegetables to cool and then scoop out the flesh from the acorn squash and sweet potato and place in a large bowl. The skins from the acorn squash and sweet potato can be discarded. Add the carrot lengths to the bowl.
Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the acorn squash, sweet potato, and carrot pieces and stir to combine. Stir in the curry powder and then add the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a strong simmer and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for another five minutes.
Puree the soup in batches in a blender or puree in the pot using a hand-blender. For an extra creamy soup, strain the pureed soup through a chinois mousseline.
Return the soup to the stovetop and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little chicken broth to thin it. Enjoy!
