A hearty and comforting soup with a definite kick, this Ginger Turmeric Squash Soup will is guaranteed to make you feel warm inside, whether you decide to eat it hot, or cold!
Yeah, I know, I’ve been loving on squash a lot lately, and you’re probably thinking: “Geez lady, enough with the squash already!”
Truth is, I bought a trio of nice big ones last time I went to the grocery store: one huge spaghetti squash and 2 good-sized butternut. With the current situation, I try not to get out of the house too often, so it’s been almost two weeks since I last went shopping for food. Since squash keeps for so long, they were among the last items to be used up, and when their turn finally came, I decided to go all out and baked all 3 at the same time. So yeah, I’ve got leftover cooked squash galore in the fridge!
What better way to use up squash leftovers than by turning them into soup? It’s super easy and in just minutes, you get to enjoy a delicious, piping hot bowl of soup. But even if you didn’t have cooked squash in the fridge, you could very well make this soup with uncooked, cubed squash. I’ll show you…
Before you get started though, let me just give you a little warning: this soup, it packs some serious heat! Ginger does have a bit of an intense bite to it, and combined with the black pepper and turmeric, trust me, you can totally feel the heat! If you’re not a fan, you might want to use less ginger and maybe consider leaving the ground black pepper out.
You can always add more later, if you wish… it’s easier to add than to remove!
Alright so start by heating a few tablespoons of olive oil (or your favorite cooking oil) in a large pot over medium-high heat; once hot, add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and ginger.
If you’re like “Whoa, dude, where are them carrots you talkin’ about?”, well, they’re right there, you’re looking at them! Carrots come in all kinds of colors — which we tend to forget — and this time, I chose to use use yellow carrots. Or well, to be honest, I didn’t choose to: that’s all I had left…
Cook the vegetables until they are slightly softened and fragrant, then add the salt, black pepper (if using) and ground turmeric.
If you are using uncooked squash, — you’ll need about 4 cups worth — now would be a good time to add it. Be sure to cut it into small cubes, this way it’ll cook much faster. And don’t feel you have to stick with butternut squash… feel free to improvise!
Stir well to coat and continue cooking the vegetables for a minute or two, to develop the flavors.
Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.
Now add the leftover cooked squash and continue cooking for about one minute, just until the squash is heated through.
For my soup, I used a combination of oven rosted butternut squash and oven baked spaghetti squash, but practically any squash variety would work just fine.
Carefully ladle the soup into a high-speed Blender; depending on the size of your blender, you may have a little bit too much soup to process it in a single go. If that’s the case, be safe and process your soup in batches!
If you didn’t have one of those fancy shmancy high speed blenders, you could also use a regular blender, a food processor or even a stick blender. Your soup won’t come out quite as silky and creamy, but it will taste just as good!
Process the soup until it’s smooth and creamy and serve!
Garnish your with a few drops of toasted sesame oil, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, some chopped cilantro and finely chopped carrots, if desired.
I strongly recommend doing the toasted sesame oil, as it works really well with the flavor profile of this soup! Keep in mind, however, that sesame oil has a very pungent flavor, so don’t over do it: just a few drops is all you need. If you use too much, it’ll completely take over.
Also, know that this soup is super delicious served cold as well as at room temperature, so feel free to experiment and decide which version you like best!
Ginger Turmeric Squash Soup
A hearty and comforting soup with a definite kick, this Ginger Turmeric Squash Soup will is guaranteed to make you feel warm inside, whether you decide to eat it hot, or cold!
Servings: 4
Optional Garnish
High Speed Blender
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil (or other cooking oil of your choice) in a large pot over medium-high heat; once hot, add the onion, garlic, carrots and ginger. (If you are using fresh cubed squash, you will want to add it to the pot now as well)
Cook until slightly softened and fragrant, then add the salt, pepper and ground turmeric and stir well; continue cooking for a minute or two, to develop the flavors.
Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the cooked squash and continue cooking for about one minute, until the squash is heated through.
Carefully ladle the soup into a High-Speed Blender and process until smooth and creamy; work in batches if you have to.
Serve promptly, garnished with a few drops of toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, chopped cilantro and finely chopped carrots, if desired.
This soup is also delicious served cold or at room temperature; feel free to experiment and decide which version you like best!
**You could also use uncooked squash, peeled and cut into small cubes. You’ll need about 4 cups. I used a combination of butternut and spaghetti squash, but practically any squash variety would work just fine.
Calories: 198kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 468mg, Potassium: 942mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 29013IU, Vitamin C: 52mg, Calcium: 127mg, Iron: 2mg
Source: Food - thehealthyfoodie.com
