I know, I know, that title is a mouthful. If you want to get even more technical, there's coconut milk in there too, but before I confused you even more, I figured I'd leave that out until here. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but this whole winter-in-March thing is really driving me insane. I am not someone who enjoys the cold, and while New England is the only place I plan to live, the months between New Years and Easter are really not my favorite. That aside, throwing a bunch of roasted veggies together for a warm and hearty [yet healthy] soup on a Sunday afternoon is a great way to prep for the week. We always joke in our house that "we don't eat dinner on Sundays." You know the drill - you wake up a little later than normal, eat a bigger breakfast than normal, and snack all day so that by the time dinner rolls around, the concept of a full blown meal isn't that appetizing. So throughout the winter months, soups and stews tend to be our staple, allowing us to eat what we need, and then additionally have extra for lunches in the week.
This one in particular is one of my favorites. Hearty butternut squash, sweet potatoes, blended with an apple and carrots provide a great base for the coconut milk and Thai inspired bold flavors. Making it even better is it can all be thrown into a crockpot and left for a few hours while you carry about your Sunday routine. Certainly not least, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free - so, you're welcome.
If you haven't figured out by now, having an easy recipe to throw together is 100% my jam. That said, lets make this one as simple as possible. First things first, you'll need a medium sized butternut squash, and a sweet potato - diced and mostly peeled. Now, do yourself a favor, and before you slice your hand off trying to cut up a squash, throw that thing in the microwave. Trust me on this one, it'll make it far easier to cut up, with less of a risk of cutting yourself in the process. Rinse both the squash and potato lightly score them with a knife and throw them on a plate in the microwave. I tend to do 5 minute increments until they are soft to a knife. It normally takes 15 minutes to get them to that state - but of course will depend on the size of potato and squash, as well as the strength of your microwave. Once they are done, let them cool enough to handle.
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then dice up one apple (I like galas) and 1 cup of carrots. I don't typically peel them, as this is where most of the nutrients lie, and they'll end up getting blended up eventually anyway. If you don't like skins of anything - peel away. Once the potato and squash have cooled enough so you can handle them, peel and dice. Place them on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes. While not a necessary step - roasting brings out different flavors than if you just threw them right into the crockpot. I've made the recipe both ways, so if you're crunched for time, dice and start cooking in the crockpot right away, it'll still be just as yummy.
Once your veggies are completely roasted throw them all into a crockpot. Take one, full fat can of coconut milk and empty about 3/4 of it into the mixture - keep the rest to the side, [keep a little of the fat, and a little of the liquid.] we'll use this later. After that, add in 3 cups of broth - today I had chicken on hand but feel free to use what you'd like. I'll share my crockpot recipe for homemade broth soon, too. Next comes the spices: 2-3 tablespoons of curry (I like a lot), 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, paprika, cayenne. 1 tablespoon of cumin and turmeric. 1 heaping teaspoon of minced ginger. Give it a good stir, and cover, set on high for 2-3 hours. The coconut milk fat will be chunky - don't stress about it, as it'll breakdown in the heat and when we blend it later.
This is one of those soups that really can be ready when you want it to be. Since the veggies are already cooked, its just a matter of how long you want to wait. I like to start meal prepping for the week around 2:00 p.m. on Sundays, and letting this sit for a few hours allows the flavors to blend. Its also one of those soups that is so much better on the second day, perfect for leftovers.
When you're ready to eat - take the soup and either put it into a high speed blender, or use an immersion blender. You can make it as smooth as you'd like. You can eat it like this, or put back in the crockpot until you're ready. At this time, I like to take the little bit of coconut milk and fat that is left and give it a quick stir, combining the liquid and solid. You can heat it up or use the immersion blender on this. I'll add a little salt and pepper to it and drizzle it on top of the soup once in the bowl. I like mine with a little sriracha and diced green onions [and if I have it, a huge hunk of a fresh loaf a bread!]
Grab a bowl and warm up.
roasted butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot + apple coconut curry soup
Prep Time: 30-45 minutes
Cook Time: Crockpot for 2-3 hours
Ingredients
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 medium sized apple, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
olive oil, salt and pepper to dress veggies
1 can full fat coconut milk
3 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon turmeric
2-3 tablespoons curry
1-2 each of paprika, cayenne and garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon of minced ginger
Directions
Place washed squash and potato in microwave first - see my notes above to make your life so much easier.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Dice and peel carrots, apple, squash and potatoes and place on a sheet pan and lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes
Once done, remove from oven and place all ingredients into crockpot. combine the remaining ingredients and give a good stir. Save 1/4 of coconut milk/fat for later.
Place on high for 2-3 hours
When ready to eat, blend soup until smooth and serve with optional sriracha, green onions and coconut milk drizzle. To make the coconut milk - take immersion blender to remaining milk and fat and re-blend them together.
Leftovers can store in fridge for up to one week.
xx
Rita