Guilt-Free Comfort Food: Curried Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
This is a comfort food you don’t have to feel guilty about! The turmeric in the curry powder has anti-inflammatory and brain-protecting properties, and the squash provides lots of beta-carotene. The coconut milk does make this soup rich, but the saturated fats it contains are medium-chain triglycerides, which are less likely to be stored as fat than other saturated fats. For less fat, you can use nonfat half-and-half or water.
Makes about six 1-cup servings.
1 large butternut squash (about 4 c. cooked, cubed)
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 T. curry powder
1 14 oz. can of reduced-fat coconut milk
1 c. water (or more to taste)
¼ tsp. salt (or less to taste)
Cinnamon and cayenne to garnish (optional)
- Roast the squash. To do so, wash the whole squash, cut in half length-wise, scoop out the seeds, and place cut-side down in an oiled baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the squash is soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
- Allow squash to cool, remove skin and cut into cubes.
- In a large pot, sauté onion in olive oil. Reduce heat to low, add curry powder and mix into a paste. Add squash and coconut milk and continue to mix. Add water ¼ c. at a time until soup reaches the consistency you want. (We like it thick.)
- Reduce heat to barely simmer for 10-15 minutes, allowing flavors to mingle. Taste, add salt if you’d like, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and cayenne as garnish.
Nutritional Information per Serving: 170 calories, 2.3 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat (8 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 5.7 g fiber, 110 mg sodium.
