This Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup is incredibly easy to make and will warm your family up as they eat its veggie goodness. Perfect for this time of year when it is so cold outside.
I have made this soup a few times now, after adapting a recipe I saw Nigel Slater use some time last year, while watching one of his old cookery programmes on the food channel.
While Nigel did not add any tomato to his recipe, I find that by adding some to my version of his soup not only am I adding more nutrition to my family’s diet, but my fussy family are more likely to eat it because it looks like tomato soup. The things we have to do to get our children (and in my case, their dad too) to try and like something new.
It is important to sauté the chopped up squash and onions in some butter first, because you need the vegetables to caramelise. As Nigel started on his show, it is this caramelisation that adds real flavour to the soup, and its depth of flavour too.
To make this recipe more of my own, I simply add some garlic, spices, an apple, tinned tomatoes or passatta (whichever you have is fine) and stock (chicken or vegetable) and that is it really. Such a simple soup that is so tasty and comforting once cooked.
Please excuse the iPhone images, I have not had a chance to photograph this properly as I have never had the chance to before it is eaten! However, I feel my photographs are keeping it real and showing you ‘real life’ home cooking LOL!
If you would like to make this soup yourself, then here is the recipe in full:
Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 generous tsp butter
500g peeled butternut squash, chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 tin (400g) of chopped tomatoes or passatta
1 tsp paprika
1 pinch of chilli powder
1 tsp caster sugar (or honey if you have any)
1 tsp garlic puree/granules or equivalent
1 1/2 pints of chicken or vegetable stock
Method:
Melt the butter over a medium heat in a deep non stick pan
Add the squash and start to sauté
After 5 minutes add the onions
Keep checking, and turning over the veg until they start to caramelise
Now add the apple, spices , garlic and sugar and cook for another 5 minutes
Add the stock – it should just cover the top of the vegetables (if you have any leftover, keep it as you might need to add more stock later on)
Bring to the boil, and then simmer away on a low heat for 20 minutes until the squash is tender
Remove from the heat and place in a food blender and blitz until smooth
If the soup is too thick, add more stock or hot water if you have used all of the stock already
Taste and add any extra spice/sugar if you think you need it
Serve and enjoy
Linking to:
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
I love this combination of flavours, so perfect in a soup!
Anca
The soup sounds fab and it is perfect for this time of year.