Curry Autumn Squash and Carrot Soup (Dairy-free)

Imagine wrapping your hands around a bowl of warm Curry Autumn Squash and Carrot Soup it's dairy free - so cozy, comfortable, and crazy delicious. The challenge when making homemade soup for two is you often end up with too much. There are simple ways to stretch your soup leftovers into multiple meals.

The unexpected combination of apple cider with warm spices, coconut milk and curry makes this dairy free, no broth squash soup a simple supper that is sure to delight.

Even though, it's delicious without any garnishes, try topping the soup with homemade garlic cheese toast- elevating this soup to the next level. Without a doubt achieving an elegant yet simple presentation.

See the stretching soup leftovers section for tips on making garlic cheese toast.

Switch it up by adding coconut rice, red peppers and spinach to your bowl of curry autumn squash soup. It's a fantastic "use up" strategy for the coconut milk.

Try Our Table 4 2's version of a creamy autumn squash and Italian Sausage Meatball soup. Either way, adding coconut rice or meatballs to this soup creates a new and delicious meal in a bowl for two!

What you'll need to make soup for two

To make this dairy free autumn squash soup we will use coconut milk and apple cider. For a little more flavor complexity we will add red curry, saute some onion and garlic and warm spices.

Here's what you'll need:

• Coconut oil or olive oil - to keep this dairy free we will reach for coconut oil or another light oil.
• Winter squash such as kabocha, acorn, carnival, or butternut all work well. Try different squashes until you find the one you like best. Roasting squash will enhance the flavor and make it easy to mash or puree in the soup pot.
• Garlic and Onion - provides the aromatic base that brings depth to our jarred curry paste. 
• Red curry paste. We will use hot oil and aromatics to bloom our curry paste, a technique that intensifies the flavor of store-bought curry paste.
• Apple cider. A key ingredient bringing fresh, crisp, tangy, and natural sweetness to our soup base.
• Carrot
• Cinnamon and nutmeg - Adding these warm spices contributes to the cozy and comfortable feeling you get when eating this soup.
• Coconut milk - Coconut milk delivers a creamy, savory richness.   Please use a full fat coconut milk – you won’t regret it!
• Water - a little water to smooth out the tang of the cider and the heat of the curry.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make curry autumn squash and carrot soup

Alright, gather your ingredients and let's start cooking!

1. Cook the Squash. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds. Now, brush the cut edges with oil, season with salt, and place cut side down on the pan. See tips below for the best way to roast a squash.
2. Saute onion. Warm a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent.
3. Bloom the Curry paste. Add the paste and garlic to the hot oil and onion, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds, make sure to stir continuously. This technique is called "blooming" the curry paste.

4. Simmer.  Add apple cider, carrot, roasted squash, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine.   Add just enough water to cover the vegetables.

5. Puree.  Add coconut milk and sugar. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. 

Alternatively, puree the soup in a blender, doing this in batches, filling the blender until it is just over half full.  Tent the cap of the blender lid so that the extra steam can escape.  If you like a chunkier soup you can use a potato masher.

6. Season and serve.  Taste and season the soup generously with salt, pepper and sugar.  Serve warm, top with desired garnishes and enjoy.

Stretching Soup Leftovers

One of the best ways to stretch a meal’s leftovers without eating the same thing multiple times is to find fun ways to repurpose one dish into another. This is especially nice when it comes to dinner because you get to bring a fantastic new dish to the table without much effort!

Think about easy-to-make garnishes like garlic cheese toast. It elevates the presentation of the soup and is sure to delight.

Adding coconut rice or meatballs, yields more servings and brings new dimension or flavors to leftover soup.

• Garlic Cheese Toast - Slice a baguette, butter each slice then sprinkle with grated cheese like fontina, provolone or mozzarella and garlic salt. Place under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and toasted golden brown. Garnish each soup bowl with the toast.

• Coconut rice with red pepper and spinach. Add ½ cup rice, remaining coconut milk (7 ounces), and ½ cup water to a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until the rice is light, fluffy and the liquid is absorbed. Add some honey, chopped red pepper and spinach.

• Italian Meatballs - This is a fantastic riff on Meatball Soup, see our recipe for Italian meatballs to add to this soup.
• Garnish with tomato jam - swirl some tomato jam on top - it is so good!

Selecting the best squash for soup

Butternut with it's classically sweet flavor and rich texture is always a winner for this cold weather soup.

Do a taste test. Experiment with different varieties like kabocha, acorn, carnival or butternut to find which taste and texture you like best. All work well with the soup ingredients of curry, coconut milk, apple cider and warm spices.

How to cut winter squash

Cutting squash can be difficult.  Short of dropping it off a truck to crack it open - A heavy knife or cleaver and a mallet are useful tools. 

Gently whack the knife into the squash, then bear down or tap it with the mallet to open the squash.  Cut next to the stem rather than through it – it’ll be easier on your knife.

A good sharp knife, like this Victorinox Swiss Army Chef's knife and Meat Tenderizer Hammer Mallet are great choices for this task.

Best way to roast winter squash

For this recipe we will cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds (leaving on the skins). Brush the cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle the squash with salt and pepper.

Put the squash cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon mat for easy clean up.  Roast in a 400 degree F preheated oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the skins become soft and indents easily when pressed with a hot pad or oven mitt.

Freeze what you can't eat

I love to make a big pot of Autumn winter squash soup with carrots for a simple supper or lunch later in the week.  The flavor of this winter squash and carrot soup gets better a day or two after sitting in the refrigerator.

Whether you’ve got a lot or a little leftover, sometimes you just know that you aren’t going to eat it in the next couple days. Don’t throw it away: freeze it instead! Making for a new dinner another day.

To Store: 24-ounce glass jars are the perfect airtight storage container for soup. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to a few months.

Follow this tip: Hold back any dairy or non-dairy milk or cream if freezing a soup that calls for it. While non-dairy milks like coconut milk hold up a little better, soups that are frozen with it still won't be the same when defrosted either.

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Common questions about this recipe

You've got questions...I've got answers! If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered below, feel free to leave it in the comments, and I'll jump in there to help you out.

Related

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Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Curry Autumn Squash and Carrot Soup: