Roasted butternut squash soup

Watch how it’s made on Instagram

No peeling and no wrestling with a hard squash. Roast it whole, then blend it with cottage cheese and kefir for a silky soup with a protein boost.

• Serves 4

• Prep 10 min

• Roast 60 to 90 min

The recipe

Per serving · a quarter of the batch

265 kcal · 12 g protein · 5 g fibre · 11 g fat

Ingredients

Metric US

• 1 medium butternut squash, about 1.2 kg (2½ lb)

• ¾ cup 2 dl cottage cheese

• ¾ cup 2 dl plain kefir

• 1⅔ cups 4 dl vegetable stock, plus extra if needed

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra to taste

• To taste sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds, to serve

Method

1. Roast
   Heat the oven to 200°C fan (390°F convection). Scrub the squash, wrap it in foil and roast it whole on a tray for 60 to 90 minutes, until a knife slides in easily.

2. Scoop
   Let it cool until you can handle it. Cut off the stem, split it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Keep the skin if it’s soft and your blender is strong, otherwise scoop out the flesh.

3. Blend
   Add the squash, cottage cheese, kefir, stock, olive oil, paprika, turmeric and lemon juice. Blend until completely smooth, adding more stock if it’s too thick.

4. Adjust
   Taste and add salt, pepper and more lemon if it needs it.

5. Warm
   Pour into a saucepan and warm it gently, stirring, without letting it boil, so the cottage cheese and kefir stay smooth.

6. Serve
   Top with pumpkin seeds and a little olive oil.

Make it yours

Chicken stock
Use it instead of vegetable stock for a deeper flavour. That’s what I used in the video.

No kefir
Use plain yoghurt, or a little more cottage cheese with a splash of milk.

Make it a meal
Blend in a drained tin of white beans, or serve with sourdough and a boiled egg.

Make ahead
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Warm it gently, without boiling.

Worth knowing

Roasting it whole → no peeling or chopping, and the long roast makes the flesh sweet and soft enough to scoop with a spoon.

Cottage cheese and kefir → creaminess without cream, and most of the protein in the bowl.

Butternut squash → a good source of fibre and beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A.

Turmeric → contains curcumin, a compound studied for its anti-inflammatory effects. Black pepper and olive oil help your body absorb it, and this soup has both.

Pumpkin seeds → crunch on top, plus plant protein, magnesium and zinc.

Roast the squash on Sunday and you’re five minutes from soup any night of the week.

Nutrition is an estimate based on standard ingredient values, including the pumpkin seeds, rounded. Your brands and squash will vary a little.