The Best Thing to Do with a Butternut Squash
I have this really strange habit of buying butternut squash. Don’t get me wrong, I like a nice squash, but for some reason I feel compelled to buy one every time I go to a supermarket. It’s hard to keep up with cooking that much squash. I mean, really, how many times a week can you roast little cubes of squash?
Last week, I was forced to get creative. The Husband had a colleague coming over for dinner, which ordinarily would have been no big deal. Except that on this particular afternoon, I was going to be at a late appointment that would give me approximately zero time to prep a meal when I got home.
And so, as usual, necessity once again becomes the mother of invention.
I did the first wave of cooking — the first 25 minutes — at lunchtime. I finished it off when I got home, with no obvious ill effects.
Curried Butternut Soup
Serves | 8 |
Prep time | 30 minutes |
Cook time | 30 minutes |
Total time | 1 hour |
Meal type | Soup |
Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (cubed)
- 2 cans light coconut milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 " ginger root (grated)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- salt (to taste)
Directions
Step 1 | |
In a large pot, combine squash, coconut milk, chicken stock and ginger. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. | |
Step 2 | |
Cook until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. (At this point, I set it aside for several hours and went about my day.) | |
Step 3 | |
Add honey, curry, lime juice and salt. Cook for another 5 minutes. | |
Step 4 | |
Carefully puree the mixture. Serve immediately. |
Results
I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I don’t usually try new recipes on guests, but it worked out well. I also froze the leftovers.
The Husband and The Colleague seemed genuinely complimentary. The Assistant, who isn’t a huge fan of any soup that doesn’t contain meat, said, “I actually like the curry a lot, and it makes the kitchen smell like good Indian food.” I think that’s a pretty good compliment.
I classified this as a medium-length weekday, but it’s an easy 30 minutes after work if you cube the squash ahead of time.