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Soup is one of my favorite things to make when wintery weather takes over. This butternut squash soup is a great balance of sweet squash and spicy ginger and chili oil.
It’s extremely easy to make, and can go from stove to table in about 35 minutes (if you don’t count the prep time). Oh, and it makes great leftovers – make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for nights you don’t feel like cooking, but want a healthy meal.
It’s Soup Season!
It’s no secret that I love soup. It’s one of my ultimate comfort foods.
Butternut squash is a great ingredient for making a puréed soup. The squash will thicken the soup base without needing flour or other thickening agents. Squash also has a wonderful nutty and sweet flavor that is accentuated by the ginger and spicy chili oil topping.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is readily available throughout the fall and winter months. It’s a great squash to try if you’re unsure if you like squash or not. It has a sweet flavor that pairs extremely well with spice.
If you want to switch things up and try a different squash, I would suggest buttercup squash (it makes smooth purees), and you’ll probably only need one to make this soup. You could also easily substitute with honeynut squash (these have a sweeter flavor than butternut), but since those are a lot smaller, you’ll need a lot of them to get the same amount of squash.
Chili Crunch Oil
I used Chilee’s Spicy Chili Oil. It is, by far, the best chili oil I have tried, and I’ll be very sad once I finish my jar. This chili oil is Whole30 compliant, and delicious: the perfect blend of spicy and nutty. Oh, and I love the garlic chips in it too. They are only selling at popups around Chicago right now, but if you’re able to get your hands on a jar, I would say do it. You won’t regret it at all.
If you can’t get your hands on Chilee’s Chili Oil, Trader Joe’s makes a decent option.
Ginger
It is best to use fresh ginger in this soup. If you want to cheat, frozen ginger works really well. If you really want to substitute with powdered ginger, use only 1/2 teaspoon, as the flavor is more concentrated (but less fresh, and a lot less spicy)
Garlic
There aren’t any great substitutes for garlic; it’s already perfect.
Since this soup is puréed, you don’t need to be precise when you chop up the garlic. Do a rough chop, then let the blender do all the work later.
Chicken Stock
I love making my own chicken stock, but there are lots of Whole30 compliant options out there. Some meat farmers will sell stock at the market, or even sell a stock kit for you to make your own stock at home.
If you want to make this soup vegan, feel free to substitute with vegetable stock.
Tips and Tricks
The easiest way to blend this soup is with an immersion blender. This will allow you to blend the soup all at once.
However, if you don’t have an immersion blender, a regular blender will work, however, it will need to be done in batches. Never fill the blender more than one third of the way full with the hot soup mixture, then cover with a towel, and start the blending on low. If the blender is too full, and at too high of a speed, the hot soup could “burp” out of the blender and cause burns. Blending in smaller batches and combining afterward is a much safer way to get a smooth soup.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe serves 3-4 adults as a main dish and 5-6 as a side dish.
If you’re like me and only cooking for two, this makes excellent leftovers. Freeze the soup in individual portion sizes, and you’ll have a ready-made Whole30 lunch or dinner handy for when you don’t feel like cooking.
Butternut Squash Soup with Chili Crunch Oil
This butternut squash soup is a great balance of sweet squash and spicy ginger and chili oil.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cups chicken stock
- Salt, to taste
- 4 tsp chili crunch oil
Instructions
- Peel butternut squash using a sharp vegetable peeler. Cut in half and deseed (using a melon baller will make this easy). Cut into cubes, approximately one inch in size.
- Heat avocado oil in a medium to large pot. Sauté onion until soft.
- Add garlic and ginger, and continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the squash and chicken stock to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium heat. Cook until squash is tender and a fork is easily inserted.
- Remove pot from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, blend in batches using a freestanding blender. Add salt to taste.
- Ladle soup into bowls, and top each bowl with approximately one teaspoon of the chili oil. Use a toothpick to swirl the oil on top of the soup.
