Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Don't Make These Mistakes

Cut side down on the tray. That contact is where the caramelisation happens.

Do not peel the squash. Roast it in the skin and scoop; it is faster and it loses less.

Water, not stock. A good roast makes stock unnecessary and stock cubes make everything taste the same.

How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

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1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Rub the squash halves, onion quarters and the head of garlic with 3 tablespoons of the oil and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.

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2. Lay the squash cut side down on a large tray with the onions and garlic around it.

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3. Roast 40 to 50 minutes, until the squash is completely collapsed and the cut face is browned and sticky where it met the tray.

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4. Scoop the squash flesh into a large pan and add the roasted onions. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and add those too.

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5. Warm the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan, add the cumin, coriander, chilli flakes and ginger, and stir for 45 seconds until fragrant.

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6. Pour in the hot water and the coconut milk, add the remaining salt, and simmer 10 minutes.

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7. Blend until completely smooth — a jug blender gives a better texture than a stick, but either works if you give it long enough.

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8. Stir in the lime juice and taste; it will need more salt than seems right and the lime is what lifts it.

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9. Serve with a swirl of the extra coconut milk, toasted pumpkin seeds and coriander.

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Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping

Refrigerated for 5 days. Freezes for 3 months. It thickens on standing; loosen with water.

Ingredient Swaps

• If coconut is a problem, a cooking cream (dairy or plant-based) can stand in for the coconut milk in a sauce; the dish will lose the coconut flavour and taste noticeably different.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

Good With

• Sourdough toast
• A sharp Cheddar
• A glass of dry cider

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.