Slow Cooker Thai Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

The temperatures outside in Central TX currently tells me it’s June for the rest of the country. I should be seeing beautiful colored leaves, picking pumpkins, gathering apples and pressing cider.  Instead I get…these gorgeous Esperanza flowers.

 

They’re beautiful, though, right?

But, it’s 95 degrees outside, and my internal clock insists that it is fall, and time for soup! I’ve been playing around with the idea of combining a few of my favorite things: Fall Butternut Squash and Thai spices. Voila! I somehow managed to come up with this little gem. Bonus: It also freezes well.

Are you ready?  Let’s make this!

 

Ingredients

• 8 cups of peeled, cubed butternut squash
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger root
• 2 tablespoons green curry paste
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine squash, onion, garlic, ginger and curry paste in a large slow cooker. Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
2. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or a regular blender.
3. Stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar and butter. Let soup sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow all the flavors to meld together. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh basil.