Soup
$0.71per plate
Prep
15 min
Soup · Butternut Squash
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
When squash is in season the price drops to almost nothing, and a single big butternut turns into a pot of soup that tastes far more expensive than it is. Roasting or simmering the squash until soft, then blending it smooth with coconut milk and warm curry spices, gives you a bowl that is silky, gently sweet, and just a little spiced. Six bowls come in around eighty cents each. It freezes well too, so an in-season squash bought cheap can feed you long past the first frost.
$0.81per plate
Estimated recipe total
$4.86 · serves 6
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
1 How to make it
1
Start the base
Warm the oil and cook the onion, garlic, and ginger until soft and fragrant, then stir in the curry powder for 30 seconds so it toasts and blooms. Blooming the spices in oil is what gives the soup its depth.
2
Simmer the squash
Add the cubed squash and broth, bring to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes until the squash is fork-tender. Smaller cubes cook faster, so keep them roughly even.
3
Blend until velvety
Pour in most of the coconut milk and blend the soup smooth, either with an immersion blender in the pot or carefully in batches. Hold back a spoonful of coconut milk to swirl on top.
4
Season and serve
Taste and adjust the salt and curry, then serve with the reserved coconut milk swirled over each bowl. It wants a bit more salt than you expect.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Sweet potato or pumpkin. Either stands in for the squash one for one, and canned pumpkin skips all the peeling.
- Frozen cubed squash. Out of season, a bag of frozen butternut is cheaper than fresh and there is nothing to peel or chop.
- A splash of cream or milk. No coconut milk, finish with a little dairy cream or milk for the same silky body.
- Add red lentils. A half cup of red lentils simmered in adds protein and makes the soup a heartier meal for pennies.
3 Budget tips
- Squash is at its cheapest from early fall through winter, so buy it in season and cook or freeze it while it is a bargain.
- Do not toss the seeds; rinse and roast them with a little salt for a free crunchy topping.
- A can of coconut milk gives the whole pot its richness, so you need no cream and very little else.
- Soup like this scales up easily, and it freezes beautifully, so double the batch when squash is cheap.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Cooled soup keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for about 5 days, and the curry flavor rounds out overnight.
Freezer
This purees and freezes as well as any soup, holding for 3 months. Leave a little headroom in the container, since it expands as it freezes.
Reheating
Warm it slowly on the stove, stirring now and then, or microwave a bowl in short bursts. If it has thickened, thin it with a splash of broth or water.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
210
Protein
4g
Fat
12g
Carbs
24g
Per-serving figures are estimated from standard ingredient data and are not medical or dietary advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Do I have to peel butternut squash?
For a smooth soup, yes, the skin stays tough even blended. Microwave the whole squash for a couple of minutes to soften it first, which makes peeling far easier, or buy pre-cubed or frozen squash to skip the job entirely.
How do I make the soup extra silky?
Cook the squash until it is truly soft, then blend it well with the coconut milk. A high-speed or immersion blender gives the smoothest texture; pass it through a sieve if you want it truly velvety.
Is this soup filling enough for dinner?
On its own it is light, so serve it with bread or a grilled cheese, or stir in a half cup of red lentils while it simmers to add protein and body.
How is the cost per bowl worked out?
It is the full estimated cost of about $4.86 divided across 6 bowls, which comes to roughly $0.81 each. Squash prices in particular swing with the season, so your number may differ.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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- 7-quart slow cooker. A large slow cooker batch-cooks cheap cuts, beans, and soups hands-off, so leftovers stretch across the week. Best for pot roast, chili, bean soups, and set-it-and-forget-it dinners.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
- Measuring cups and spoons set. A basic set of measuring cups and spoons keeps amounts consistent, which keeps budget recipes reliable. Best for rice, liquids, and any recipe where the ratio matters.
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