Description
Sweet and smoky with roasted red peppers and butternut squash, this soup is packed with flavorful herbs and spices and made thick and creamy with coconut milk so it’s dairy-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash, chopped into 1.5 inch cubes (about 5 cups)
- 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices (about 1 cup)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 leek (root and top green leaves removed), sliced and cleaned
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6-8 large fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 cups no salted added vegetable broth, (plus more if needed)
- 1 can (400 ml) light coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Using two large sheet pans, arrange the squash, peppers, carrots, celery, leeks, onion, sage and garlic in a single layer. (Make sure the peppers are cut side down).
- Brush oil on top of the peppers and drizzle the rest of the oil on the squash and veggies.
- Mix together the smoked paprika, salt, cumin, black pepper and red pepper flakes and sprinkle over the squash and veggies. (I usually don’t put any on the peppers). Stir (or toss with your hands) to ensure everything is well coated.
- Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until the squash and veggies are soft and tender with caramelized edges. (Stir things around a few times to ensure even roasting).
- Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before adding to the jug of a stand blender.
- Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk and blend on high until smooth and creamy. (Depending on the size and power of your blender, you may need to do this in two batches).
- Transfer the soup to a medium-sized pot or dutch oven and simmer over medium heat until heated through.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days.
Notes
- To ensure the squash and veggies have space to roast, use two sheet pans. If you crowd everything onto one pan, the squash and veggies will steam and the soup will lack that caramelized, roasted flavor.
- You can use a regular or reduced-sodium broth, but you may wish to reduce the amount of salt you add to the soup.
- Smoked paprika and cumin aren’t that spicy, but red pepper flakes are. The recipe just calls for a small amount, so feel free to adjust the amount to suit your preferred spice level.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, transfer the roasted ingredients, broth and milk to a pot and use an immersion blender to blend until creamy.
- To thin out the soup, just add more broth. The soup also thickens in the fridge, so before reheating leftovers, you may wish to add some more broth.
