Butternut squash soup recipe
I was hoping that it would be too warm in May for soup, however we returned from a few days away to find the central heating was broken and the house freezing!
I had half a butternut squash in the fridge that needed to be used up, so I put it to good use and made some soup to warm us up.
The soup is simple to make and I hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients - serves 2-3
- Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
- One onion (I prefer red ones but white are fine too), finely chopped.
- Half a teaspoon of lazy garlic or one clove of garlic, finely chopped.
- Half a teaspoon of lazy chilli or half a teaspoon of chilli powder (leave out if you don't want a spicy soup)
- Half a butternut squash
- Yellow or red pepper.
- 100g red lentils.
- Two vegetable stock cubes dissolved in 800ml of boiling water. (I like the low salt variety).
- One tablespoon of natural yoghurt (optional).
Method
- Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds.
- Cut the squash into chunks.
- Cut the pepper into chunks.
- Spread the squash and pepper on a roasting tray and drizzle over about a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir the vegetables to coat them evenly in the oil.
- Place in the oven at 190 degrees.
(The peppers will be roasted for about 15 minutes and the squash for 30 minutes).
6. Whilst the veg are roasting, gently heat the
rest of the oil (1 tablespoon) in a saucepan.
7. Add the chopped onion, garlic and optional chilli and fry for about 3 - 4 minutes until they have softened slightly, stirring regularly.
8. Add the lentils to the pan and stir well to coat the lentils in the oil.
9. Keep stirring for a minute to start to cook the lentils.
10. Now dissolve the stock cubes in 800ml of boiling water. (I make them up separately in a measuring jug, each with 400ml of water).
11. Add the stock to the pan.
12. Stir well to mix everything together.
13. Cover and simmer gently.
14. Once the squash and peppers have been roasting in the oven for 15 minutes, remove the pieces of pepper and add them to the saucepan.
15. After another 15 minutes remove the squash from the oven and add to the saucepan.
16. Cook the soup for a further 5-10 minutes until the lentils and vegetables are soft.
17. Use a hand-held blender (or food processor) to liquidise the soup.
18. You can add about a tablespoon of natural yoghurt to the soup if you prefer a creamier soup, but it tastes very good without it.
19. Add pepper to taste and enjoy!
20. Serve with homemade bread or oatcakes for a delicious lunch.