Lemongrass + Ginger Butternut Squash Soup
It’s rare that I would call a soup “exciting,” but this lemongrass butternut squash soup is precisely that — exciting — a straight-up jolt of invigorating flavor to your tastebuds.
My pal Leah came over for Friendsgiving recently and taught me how to make this lively soup which incorporates lemongrass for an interesting twist on your classic seasonal butternut squash soup.
Leah cooks like I do — a dash here, a pinch there, creating on the fly. She showed up at my house with a list of spices and an acorn squash that needed a home, and we took it from there.
We decided to incorporate both the butternut squash and the acorn into our soup recipe, but you can use just butternut if you like.
After roasting them to golden brown perfection, we began tossing spices into my food processor like mad scientists.
When we got to the lemongrass though (an essential Leah told me), we realized that I only had dried herb instead of fresh lemongrass, and it simply would not jive with this creamy soup.
Like two female MacGyvers in the kitchen, we decided to boil it in water to extract the flavor, and use this as the base of the soup. Problem solved.
In the process, we also learned that this is a great way to make homemade lemongrass tea. Score.
What resulted was quite possibly the best soup I’ve ever had in my life. I told you before — I’m not one to get too psyched about soup — but this is no ordinary bowl of pureed butternut.
- 1 Butternut Squash
- ½ Acorn Squash
- 1 T. Curry
- 2 tsp. Olive or Coconut Oil
- ½ Onion, chopped
- 2 Large Carrots, chopped
- 2 Celery Stalks, chopped
- 1 T. Ginger, chopped
- 1 T. Garlic, chopped
- 1 Lime
- 1 T. Dried Lemongrass or 1 Fresh Lemongrass Stalk*
- 1 C. Water
- 1 C. Light Coconut Milk
- 1½ tsp. Cumin
- 1 tsp. Salt
- Pinch Cayenne
- Cut squash in half and brush flesh with 1 tsp. oil. Season with salt, pepper, and curry.
- Roast on a baking sheet at 350 F for about 40 minutes, flesh side down.
- Chop all vegetables. If using fresh lemongrass, remove skin and dice.
- Heat a saute pan over medium, then add 1 tsp. oil. Once oil has warmed, add all vegetables. Quarter the lime and squeeze juice over the vegetables, then add the limes to the pan. Saute for about 10 minutes.
- If using dried lemongrass, add 1 T. to a pot with 1 C. of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain and set aside lemongrass water.
- Scoop roasted squash from flesh and add to a food processor or high powered blender along with the vegetables (minus the lime rind), lemongrass water (or 1 C. water + fresh diced lemongrass), coconut milk, and spices. Puree until smooth and creamy.
- Adjust salt and cayenne to taste.
- Garnish with chili flakes, cilantro or tarragon.
This recipe may sound a little complicated, but I promise you, it’s really easy.
If you’re feeling super lazy, you can always skip the step where you sauté the vegetables. Just add them to the soup raw — they’re getting pulverized either way!
Feel free to play around with the spices too. If you don’t like one, leave it out. Have a feeling something else might work? Add it in. Cooking is all about experimentation. The best recipes are often created by accident.
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Weigh In: Do you get excited about soup? What’s your favorite non-traditional take on a classic recipe?
Patti Cakes says:
Whitney, so glad to have a new soup recipe to enjoy this winter. Looks delicious and so healthy! Thanks!
Deborah @Confessions of a mother runner says:
I love the addition of the lemon grass in there. Yummy and healthy
Leah says:
Serious yums!!! Come be my personal chef please! Haha.
Natasha says:
Awesomely simple recipe. Love how it turned out.
Thanks for posting!