A perfect winter warmer with a delicious creamy taste and the warm hint of cumin and curry

The flavours in this soup are exactly what you need when it’s starting to get cold outside and summer salads seem a distant memory. This is a great vegan or vegetarian option for weekday lunches or a light evening meal. No post-lunch energy slumps and no mid afternoon hunger pangs.

The nutrition bit

This soup is bursting with the non-meat form of vitamin A (beta-carotine) which is important in maintaining our immune systems. The butter beans add protein and more fibre to the soup, which not only keeps you feeling fuller for longer but feeds our gut microbiota, helping to encourage a healthy biodiversity of bacteria. We are learning more and more about the role of our gut microbiota in almost every other body system, from supporting hormone production and nutrient absorption to supporting bone health and mental health.

Nutritional yeast is a great addition to almost any soup or stew to super boost it with B vitamins. These are essential for normal energy production. It has a slight nutty, cheesy flavour that adds a depth of flavour to this soup. For the vegans and the vegetarians out there it is even more important to add nutritional yeast and to check the one you buy is fortified with vitamin B12. Mari Gold have a great fortified nutritional yeast that I use all the time.

Ingredients

1 squash, de-seeded and chopped 

6 carrots 

1 white onion

2 garlic cloves peeled 

2 tbsp olive oil 

2 tins full fat coconut milk

1 tin butter beans, drained 

2 tbsp nutritional yeast 

3 tsp bouillon/vegetable stock powder

700ml hot water 

1 tbsp mild curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp turmeric 

1/2 tsp ground ginger 

Salt and pepper to season 

Yoghurt or cream (dairy or alternative), coriander and sunflower or pumpkin seeds to serve (optional) 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. 
2. Chop the butternut squash into roughly 3cm chunks, leaving skin on but taking seeds out. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with 1tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot oven for 30 minutes or until the flesh is soft and the skin comes away easily.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pan on a medium heat add the chopped onion, chopped carrots, crushed/chopped garlic cloves. Cook for 5 mins until onion softened. Add curry powder, turmeric, ginger and cumin. Cook for another 2 mins. 
4. Add both tins of coconut milk and butter beans and lightly simmer until the squash is roasted. 
5. Allow the squash to cool sightly so you can touch it. The skin should easily pull away allowing you to add the flesh to the soup mixture in the pan.
6. Add the nutritional yeast, hot water and boullion. If the carrots are still hard, simmer for sightly longer then use a hand blender or food processor to blend until soup is smooth. 
7. Taste test and add salt, pepper or more water to get your desired consistency. 

Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of your favourite seeds. Pumpkin or sunflower seeds work well.

The soup keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days and freezes well. 

If you liked this soup, why not also try my tomato and lentil soup.