During this time of extensive baking and lots of comfort food, I was craving some colour and a little healthy zing. I had a generous amount of butternut squash lying around in my fridge, as well as a can of coconut milk in my pantry that had been lingering for quite some time. Butternut squash soup seemed like the perfect solution – it’s nice and comforting, but I added a bit of Asian flavour to it for a different spin on a classic.

I don’t usually follow a recipe for my soups – that’s the beauty of a soup, you can throw in most anything and end of up with a great meal. Here is roughly what I did, but feel free to adapt. We served the soup with naan bread and I ate it cold the next day which was great as well. My daughter loved it and my son didn’t touch it, which was to be expected because it’s a vegetable.

Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut and Ginger

• 2 pounds of butternut squash, cubed
• 1 generous tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons of minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass
• 1/2 tablespoon of minced chilli
• water
• salt and pepper
• cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a deep soup pot, add garlic and cook until fragrant – less than a minute. Add the butternut squash and toss until covered in the oil and garlic, let warm a couple of minutes. Add the coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass, chilli and stir well. Add a bit of water to cover all the squash.

Cover with lid and let it cook on medium-high until squash is soft and breaks apart easily with a spatula. Use a immersion blender to smooth soup (If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular blender and blend it in batches. Watch out with the hot liquid). Once smooth, decide if you are happy with the consistency or add a bit of liquid if you like your soup not to be too thick. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped cilantro. Enjoy hot or cold.