Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Coconut Milk and Asian Flavors
‘Oh, that’s good.’ Lovely words to hear from my friend who tried my latest recipe, a beautiful Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Coconut Milk and Asian Flavors. The cooler weather is here in Portugal and my mind has switched to soup mode. So, much so, on Tuesday it was tomato, and then on Wednesday, this one.
This is NOT another average butternut squash recipe. Look… I do love butternut squash and soup made from it. BUT most of them are all the SAME filled with cream and of course, sage. And there’s so much more you can do with butternut squash.
Try this recipe for example. No sage or cream in sight. Instead, intrigue your taste buds with hints of Asian flavors – salty soy, fish sauce, spicy red chili flakes, hints of nutmeg, and the sweetness of coconut milk. It’s like wrapping your insides in a warm comforter while sitting in front of a crackling fire.
And if you don’t want to use butternut squash, then don’t. I’m not fussy. Often I use a BIG slice of one of the HUGE winter squashes grown here in Portugal. Called abóbora, there’s so many different varieties, eaten and served year-round in a variety of dishes. One of my favorites is squash jam with walnuts paired with a fresh cheese that is similar to ricotta. And of course, SOUP.
Of course, if you do go with butternut, use the bulb part to make this soup, and cut the neck into cubes to make this absolute yummy Roasted Beet Salad with Butternut Squash drizzled with a Dijon Lime Vinaigrette.
Winter Squash Varieties
Winter squash comes in so many different sizes (some are HUGE) , shapes, and flavors. Which means you aren’t stuck with butternut (which I do adore, btw). Instead, try out other winter squash flavors in all your squash dishes, like my Fall Squash Pancakes. Varieties such as acorn, kabocha, calabaza, pumpkin, Hubbard, and delicata.
If you’ve never tried delicata squash, I do highly recommend it. Even the peeling on it is edible and it’s so SWEET. Try it using my recipe for Roasted Delicata Squash, Kale, and Black Bean Tacos. It’ll also work in this soup, but I do recommend peeling it for the soup, because the skin texture isn’t quite right.
One squash you will want to avoid for this recipe is spaghetti. Save the spaghetti squash for dishes where you want a substitute for pasta.
Making Your Roasted Winter Squash Soup Vegan
It’s EASY to make this recipe vegan. Use veggie stock, instead of chicken. And skip the fish sauce, adding more soy sauce to replace the fish sauce flavor. Everything else is already there since we’re already using vegetables and coconut milk. Here’s another dairy-free option… a warm Fall Harvest Bisque.
Substitutes
Almond milk or any of the nut milks will work in the place of the coconut milk, in the event you don’t have any or don’t like. You can also use olive oil instead of sesame oil BUT do be aware, the sesame oil adds A LOT of flavor to the recipe. For gluten-free, use Tamari instead of soy sauce. And instead of cilantro, fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, or even sage will work.
Grab a Bowl of Soup
Are you ready to get warm with a hot bowl of Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Coconut Milk and Asian Flavors? I’m off to have a bowl right now since there’s plenty in the fridge. What’s your favorite soup flavor? Let me know in the comments. And please, if you have any questions or comments about the soup, leave them below and I’ll get back to you.
Btw, if you’re looking for the perfect crackers, try these Pepper, Fennel Seed and Thyme Olive Oil Cracker with Sea Salt Crackers. They’re the ones featured in the photos here.
Recommended Ingredients & Tools
Ingredients
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk (canned) — Full fat coconut milk is a must in this recipe because it’s what helps give it the creamy goodness. Reduced fat coconut milk is more like coconut water and we want that silky smooth taste that comes from the stuff with fat in it.
- Fish Sauce — Don’t skimp on the fish sauce by a good Asian one like the one I’ve suggested here. Not the American company made ones that are being passed off as Asian. They just aren’t the same, and good fish sauce adds an onami flavor you can’t get from anything else.
- Toasted Sesame Oil — With sesame oil, a little goes a long way. And again this is an ingredient that isn’t interchangeable if you want the delicious Asian flavors that come from this recipe. I always buy real Asian ones.
Tools
- Immersion (Stick) Blender — I adore the heck out of my stick blender. It makes cooking up soups like this one a breeze. A quick whiz right in the pot and you’ve got a smooth soup. No transferring hot liquids to blenders in batches.
- Rimmed Sheet Pan — A must for roasting vegetables to keep them from sliding off the pan when you stir while cooking. for roasting the squash cubes. Add a few more veggies to make a full try when roasting your winter squash.
- Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot — Everyone needs a good Dutch oven (or soup pot). I keep mine sitting out all winter for soups, stews, and even baking bread or roasting a chicken.
- Sharp Chef’s Knife — Winter squash (and sweet potatoes) are always hard to cut safely. The key is using a sharp chef’s knife – Shun is my favorite brand and the one in my kitchen. Which is also why I recommend a good knife sharpener as well. Just don’t throw these knives in the dishwasher. Instead, hand wash it and dry immediately.
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FAQ Additions (targets the near-miss queries directly)
- Is this similar to a Thai or Chinese squash soup? Not really. It leans in that direction with the Asian ingredients – soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, ginger and coconut milk. But it’s not based off a traditional Asian recipe from any one country. I was just inspired by the ingredients in my cabinet and flavors I like when I made this one.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk? You can, but I don’t recommend it. You lose the richness full fat coconut milk gives to the soup when you change milks. But if you do, almond milk is the easiest swap to get it closest to the flavors of the recipe. Add a bit extra (not much) sesame oil to give it a bit more fat.
- Can I make this soup vegan? Absolutely. Just swap out the chicken stock for veggie stock and leave out the fish sauce. Use a bit more soy sauce, adding slowly, tasting to check when you have enough so you don’t oversalt the soup. Everything else in the recipe is already plant based.
- Can I make this ahead or freeze it? Yes, you can. This soup freezes really well since there are no dairys in the base and coconut milk holds up fine with freezing and reheating. We often make a bigger pot and freeze to save time for meals during the week. I recommend saving in serving sizes for you and/or your family so you only reheat what you need. Like I do 2 cups at a time.
- Is this recipe gluten-free? It’s not as writen, but if you swap out the soy sauce for tamari (and avoid the crackers pictured in the recipe), you’re all set. Everything else is naturally gluten free.
Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Coconut Milk and Asian Flavors
Ingredients
Roasted Winter Squash
- 1 large butternut or your favorite winter squash peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Soup
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ small red onion diced
- 1 large sweet-tart apple peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 large garlic clove approx. 1 tablespoon
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- ¼ to ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 cups chicken or veggie stock
- 2 cups coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 large green onion sprigs sliced
Instructions
Roast Squash
- Preheat oven to 325 F (180 C).
- Peel and dice squash into 1-inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread squash evenly onto a baking sheet.
- Place in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash tests extremely tender with a fork or toothpick.
- Remove from oven and set aside until needed.
Soup
- In a large pot, heat sesame oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and apple, cooking until tender before adding ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, red chili flakes, and nutmeg.
- When you smell the fragrance of ginger and garlic, add roasted squash, soy sauce, fish sauce, stock, and coconut milk. Stir well to mix together and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or to your desired thickness.
- Using a stick blender or regular blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the fresh chopped cilantro and green onions.
- Serve warm with crusty bread or Black Pepper, Fennel and Thyme Crackers. Top with additional chopped cilantro and green onions, if desired.