This healthy soup was purposely made after a birthday lunch at the new Victory Brewery in Kennet where I shared Thai mussels with my bestie and devoured a handcrafted burger (basically a mostly organic version of a Big Mac) that pretty much rocked my socks off. My appetite vanished for hours, probably due to the calorie bomb burger, but that Thai coconut flavor nagged me, begging to be reproduced. Healthy AND flavorful? That’s what I was after, trying to balance out the burger. The red curry paste was something that I had to seek out as I don’t keep it stocked, but it was inexpensive and very easy to find at my local Giant. Though this isn’t necessarily family friendly when it comes to kids, it’s easy enough to make that you could use it for your lunches or enjoy it with your significant other. This made such a beautiful presentation and the flavor was unlike most of the things I cook, so it was refreshing change up in this new year. Warning – this soup has a kick! If you want just a bit of a kick, omit the Sriracha.
Creamy Thai Coconut Squash Soup
Serves 6-8
Adapted from Clean Eating
4 lb. acorn squash, quartered
1 1/2 inch piece peeled ginger, sliced
1 large white onion, peeled and sliced
4 c. chicken broth, divided
1 c. coconut milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. curry paste
1 tsp. Sriracha, optional
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime
chopped cilantro leaves
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place quartered squash, flesh side up, in 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle sliced ginger in the cavities of the squash. Arrange onion slices around squash.
3. Add two cups of the chicken broth to the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
4. When squash is cool enough to hand, scrape squash from skin into a soup pot. Add onion, about half of the ginger, and any remaining liquid.
5. Add remaining broth, coconut milk, garlic, curry paste, Sriracha and salt. Stir and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about ten minutes.
6. Blend with immersion blender or transfer to blender. Add lime juice and serve, topped with more coconut milk if desired.
