Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup
on Oct 30, 2024
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Simmered with coconut milk, this roasted kabocha squash soup is creamy and fragrant. I roast the squash wedges in the oven, making it so simple to scoop out the flesh. Then I sauté chopped onions with garlic, ginger, cumin and turmeric, and the squash bubbles away in the broth and coconut milk. It’s a cozy vegan soup recipe that’s perfect for winter squash season.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Roasting squash gives it so much flavor and makes it easier to cut. With some squash soup recipes, you have to peel it and cut it before simmering it in broth on the stove. When you roast squash, you can just slice it into wedges. That oven time gives it a chance to brown. Then the flesh is so soft that you can just spoon it out.
This vegan soup is creamy and rich. To begin with, the flesh of kabocha squash is more creamy than other types of squash, which can be more stringy. That plus coconut milk makes this soup have such a lovely texture.
Give butternut squash a break. No offense to the most popular type of squash, but you should be sampling all the squash you find right now. I encourage you to try ones that are new to you. We have a long way to go from fall to winter, so variety is a very good thing.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Kabocha squash: Like other winter squash varieties, kabocha stays good for a while. When you are picking one out at the farmers market or the grocery, it should not have any soft spots. Also, it should feel heavy for its size. You can substitute with red kuri squash, buttercup squash or butternut squash. Kabocha is sometimes called Japanese pumpkin.
- Onion, ginger & garlic: Besides the dried spices, chopped onions plus minced fresh ginger and garlic are the flavor base for the soup. You can use any color onion, keeping in mind that a red onion will darken the orange color. Never substitute with ground ginger. It has to be fresh!
- Spices: I season the soup with ground cumin, turmeric, kosher salt and black pepper. You also use salt and pepper to season the squash for roasting.
- Vegetable broth: I always use low-sodium vegetable broth, so I can control the seasonings, especially the salt. If you don’t need the soup to be vegetarian, then you can use swap with chicken broth.
- Coconut milk gives the soup that wonderful silky consistency. Use full-fat coconut milk to get a creamy soup without using any actual cream.
- Lime: After I puree the soup, I squeeze in fresh lime juice to give it a touch of brightness. Never use bottled citrus juice.
- Olive oil: You need oil for roasting the squash and for sautéing the onions and the rest of the aromatics.
How To Make Creamy Kabocha Squash Soup
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Cut the squash. Slice it in half and scoop out the seeds. Then cut it into wedges that are about 1 to 2 inches wide.
2. Toss the squash with oil, salt and pepper. Arrange them in a single layer on the prepared pan. It will look like a lot at first, but if you slot the wedges in between each other you should have room.
3. Roast the squash. Give it 30-35 minutes until it is very tender and lightly browned.
4. Scoop out the squash flesh. Give it a little time to cool off. Then use a spoon to do this. You don’t need the skin.
5. Sauté the onions. Warm the oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Then sauté the onions until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the garlic, ginger and spices. Keep cooking for 1 minute until the onions are fragrant.
7. Simmer the soup. First add the roasted squash flesh, vegetable broth, and coconut milk (except for 1/4 cup). Simmer for 12-15 minutes until the soup thickens and reduces slightly.
8. Puree the soup and squeeze in the lime juice. You can do this in the pot with an immersion blender or carefully transfer it in batches to a high-powered blender. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the reserved coconut milk, garnishing with chopped herbs and black pepper.
Serving
This kabocha soup is great with a salad that has complimentary flavors. Try this nutty napa cabbage salad, roasted vegetable couscous salad, crunchy asian cabbage salad or this edamame salad with tahini dressing. It is great for a fall/winter dinner or lunch during soup season.
Leftovers & Storage
Let the soup cool to room temperature and stir in the remaining coconut milk that you were saving for garnish. You can store the soup in an airtight container up to 3 days in the fridge. To save it longer, you can freeze it up to 1 month. If you are going to keep it in the freezer, divide it into smaller portions rather than one big container to make it easier to thaw. Warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop over low to medium heat.
Recipe Tips
- Give the squash enough time to roast. It should be extremely soft. You should have no trouble spooning it out.
- If the soup seems too thick after you puree it, pour in additional broth or water. This comes down to personal preference.
- Taste the soup to see if you need to adjust the seasonings. This is important for all soup recipes. They may need more salt and/or pepper to bring out the overall flavors.
- Make sure to use full fat coconut milk. You won’t get that rich, creamy consistency if you use light coconut milk.
More Squash Recipes
Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Spicy Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup
Roasted Acorn Squash Salad
Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes
Sautéed Butternut Squash and Kale
Roasted Butternut Squash Orzo
Creamy Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup
Ingredients
For squash
- 1 large kabocha squash (about 4 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more for serving
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
- 1 lime
- Chopped parsley or cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Slice the the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. After that, cut the squash into wedges about 1 to 2 inches wide.
- Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Roast the squash until it is tender, about 30-35 minutes.
- When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes until they start to soften.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Continue cooking for 1 minute until everything is fragrant.
- Add the roasted squash flesh, vegetable broth, and coconut milk (reserving 1/4 cup). Simmer for 12-15 minutes until the soup thickens and reduces slightly.
- Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth or transfer it to a blender in batches. Squeeze in the lime juice.
- Divide the soup into bowls. Drizzle with the reserved coconut milk and sprinkle with chopped herbs and black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
