Our youngest son went from eating all manner of pureed vegetables when he was an infant, to almost a complete aversion to them when he became a child. It’s only recently that we’re seeing a gradual shift in his mind state when it comes to the consumption of vegetables. There’s not quite a sense of joy just yet, as he takes a mouthful, but we’re getting there… it’s a start!
More and more, I’m finding that a little added spice makes eating veggies much more enticing for our boys. This Butternut Pumpkin Soup is no exception. It’s great for a simple Sunday dinner, served with a crusty loaf of bread… for dunking and then mopping up the bowl at the end.
Fragrant Butternut Pumpkin Soup | Gather and Graze
- 500ml (2 Cups) Vegetable Stock (or Chicken Stock if you prefer)
- 1 Thumb-size piece of Fresh Ginger (finely chopped)
- 1 Clove of Garlic (crushed)
- 1 Green Chilli (seeded and sliced)
- 2 Kaffir Lime Leaves (torn) * See note below
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1kg Butternut Pumpkin/Squash (peeled and chopped into 3cm chunks)
- 500-600ml (2 Cups+) Boiling Water
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 125ml (½ Cup) Coconut Cream
- Fresh Coriander/Cilantro leaves (to garnish)
Place the stock, ginger, garlic, chilli, kaffir lime leaves, and spices into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Add the chopped pumpkin and enough boiling water to ensure the pumpkin is covered in liquid. Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer away until the pumpkin is tender. Remove the kaffir lime leaves before proceeding with the next step.
Pour the pumpkin and all the liquid into a blender and purée until you reach a smooth consistency. Tip the soup back into the cleaned saucepan over a gentle heat and add the coconut cream. Bring back up to a very gentle simmer, check for seasoning and then remove from the heat.
Serve straight away with some chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) sprinkled over the top and a loaf of crusty bread on the side.
* A tip for getting the best flavour from the kaffir lime leaves is to carefully tear each leaf a few times from either side in towards the spine, allowing it to stay whole (for easy removal), but also allowing it to release it’s lovely fragrance throughout the soup.
Gather & Graze 
Nice recipe! I like the lime leaf trick. Do you peel the pumpkin first?
Thanks Stefan! Yes, the pumpkin is peeled first… perhaps I should clarify that within the recipe. Cheers, Margot
Yes, indeed it must be very fragrant soup. I go for anything butternut squash, especially if it looks as good as this soup.
(BTW, My blog has moved to a new self-hosting site. I published a post a few hours ago. Can you see it in your Reader? If you do, I’m glad. If not, and you are willing to sign up for e-mail notifications, please do so at fae-magazine.com.) Thanks, 🙂
I’ve just had a look Fae and was excited to see that your post is there in the Reader! Can’t wait to come across and explore the new site! 🙂 Thanks as always for your kind and supportive comments.
This sounds so bright and light yet comforting and utterly delicious!
Thanks so much Mary, it really is all of those things! 🙂
Last time I had pumpkin soup was in Halloween, what good memories you just gave me 🙂
🙂 Cheers Lily
I love soups of all kinds, this recipe will make its way into my personal cookbook, thanks for sharing.
Thank you Cecilia! So great to hear that you’re enticed to make it! Cheers, Margot
I love pumpkin soup, Margot, and yours looks and sounds amazing, with the spices and coconut cream! Very yummy. Also, congrats on the beautiful food photos that illustrate your post 🙂
Such very kind words Stefano, thank you! Actually, I was just thinking of you… I’m about to head out to restock our wine supply and was thinking I might look out for a couple of bottles of Chateauneuf-du-Pape! 🙂 Hope your week is going well.
Awesome idea, Margot! See if you can get a bottle or two of Domaine Chante Cigale, it is outstanding! 🙂
Unfortunately no luck with the CDP Stefano… they only had a few, which were all up around the $90-100 mark! 😦 I ended up with some Australian & NZ whites, along with a mix of Spanish Rioja, Italian Nero d’Avola, Chianti and Sangiovese, plus a couple of French wines from the Pays d’Herault/Languedoc region. Looking forward to tasting them all!
Holy cow, Margot! Something tells me that mark ups on French wines Down Under are enormous! Hundred bucks for a CDP??? It better be made by the pope himself! 😉 Sorry that didn’t work out. Should you need recommendations on good Italian NDA’s just let me know: there’s some that are delicious and many others… not so much. Hope you will enjoy your nice selection of wines and look forward to reading how you like them! Incidentally, I just bought a bottle of Australian Shiraz – unfortunately for me, it is a new release and so I will have to let it sit in my cellar for a few years before enjoying it! 🙂
They had a Domaine de Villeneuve CDP up around the $100 mark, plus a couple of others that I can’t quite remember the other names of… Wine certainly is very much cheaper to buy in the USA – we enjoyed many different bottles (including some great Champagne) while we were there, that would usually be out of our reach in price. Hope your Aussie Shiraz turns out to be lovely when you go to open it! 🙂
Wow, even taking into account currency exchange that’s usd 75 for a wine that in the US retails for 45. Quite steep. Thank you, Margot: I am looking forward to enjoying my Shiraz… in a few years! 😉
I started looking over your ingredient list and it just kept getting better and better. I could almost taste your soup by the time I got to the end of the list. I’m making this soup for us. Butternut squash makes such a lovely soup. The last few butternut squash soups I made I kept thinking there is something missing to spice it up. You nailed it here. I would never think to use a green chili and coconut milk! Brilliant. Oh, and the lime leaves too. I love lime leaves. I imagine if you keep making delicious pureed soups like this your son can not resist! Doesn’t matter that it’s spring here, butternut squash is still at the market. 🙂
That’s interesting Seana… the exact same thing happened to me last time I made more of a traditional pumpkin soup – there was something definitely missing, even though I felt like the ingredients were all there. I’m really quite partial to these Asian flavours, so I hope you’ll enjoy them too if you go ahead and make it. Have a great week!
So there is hope … I guess with girls gets easier because they really tend to watch the calories. I love your soup with its herbs and spices, Margot! Lovely, lovely pics!
With your beautiful cooking Francesca, I’m sure it won’t be long at all until Her Highness comes around to the fact that she’s missing out big time by not trying everything on the table! 🙂 Thanks for your kind comment!
Oh my this soup sounds like a good punch of flavor. I use a good bit of coriander and cumin at home since I make Pakistani dishes. However, I never thought of making a soup using them. I must try this, but I might have to hurry because it’s already starting to get warmer here in Louisiana, Ha! Thanks for recipe!
You’re very welcome Nida! I really hope you give this soup a try sometime… it’s indeed very flavourful, yet in quite a subtle way… if that makes sense? Thanks so much for your lovely comment. Cheers, Margot
You guys really are in autumn. Actually, it feels more like autumn over here! It’s misery.
Really like your spicing. Admittedly, even though I can buy them, I’ve never cooked with kaffir lime leaves before (I always split bay leaves as well to get their flavour). So I don’t know how their flavour would be. Will have to put them on my list of nearly-out-of spices that I need.
I’ve just baked your Afghan biscuits, BTW. They smell heavenly. But I still haven’t tasted them. Will have to have a nibble a little later!
Oh that’s heartbreaking to hear… still no sign of spring? Really, it must be coming soon!
Kaffir lime leaves are beautiful Johnny, pick a few up next time you see them – they make such a difference to a Thai curry. They’re quite subtle in this soup, but definitely add to the complexity.
The Afghan biscuits really need the icing and walnut to finish them off… even though the biscuit part is still nice, it’s more the sum of all it’s parts that turn it into a real treat for me. Have I talked you into stirring up a batch of icing yet?? 😉
Will look out for kaffir lime leaves! As for the delicious biscuits, I’ll leave the icing as extra for you – and your waistline. 🙂 Joking aside, they’re perfect as they are. Although, next time I’ll use an ice cream scoop to make cookie sized biscuits – with walnuts on top. Perfect for breakfasts on the hoof, so to speak.
And loving the new header, BTW. Dark red and white is always a favourite of mine.
Thanks Johnny – pleased to know that you like both the header and the biscuits! 🙂 My waistline is shaking in it’s hips right now at the thought of all the hearty comfort to come in the months ahead… best get a few more fresh salads in while I can! 😉
I love butternut squash & my munchkin loves soups! I love all the eastern spices you’ve added to the soup! Must taste wonderful! Thank you Margot!
Thanks so very much Naina! The flavours in this soup really are so beautiful… along with the spices, I also adore the hint of fresh ginger and the kaffir lime leaf particularly.
Love the soup Margot, I love pureed soup and butternut squash is at the top of my list. Yes, crusty bread with that soup is all that is needed to make a wonderful meal.
It’s one of my favourites too Suzanne… such an easy, yet comforting meal and one of the few reasons why I get excited about the cooler temperatures that autumn brings. Well, that and the beautiful colours of the leaves turning too! 🙂
Very interesting recipe, Margot. Sounds a bit different from traditional in US roasted butternut squash soup, probably will be a bit lighter overall. When we serve the roasted butternut squash soup in the house, we typically add a drop ( really, just a drop) of truffle oil on top – the flavors meld together very nicely. And the crusty bread is a must!
Love the sound of a drop of truffle oil to finish the soup Anatoli! I’ll have to give that a try. This particular recipe is very much influenced by Thai flavours… though it’s still quite subtle and doesn’t pack too much of a punch.
Looks and sounds delicious and great tip about the kaffir lime leaf! Love the bowl you served it in 🙂
Cheers Tanya, I recently got around to purchasing a little potted Kaffir Lime, but already loving having leaves on hand for curries, soups and the like! So pleased you also like the bowl… I’m always partial to plates and bowls with a slightly skewed shape!
Your butternut pumpkin soup looks wonderful Margot and so beautifully presented 🙂
Thank you very much Linda, I’m hoping there will be a few more soups going on the blog this year! M.xx
Looks good!
Cheers, very kind of you!
Love the second pic Margot. I adore pumpkin and your soup sounds delicious, yum…
Thanks Sandra! It’s been cooling off significantly here of an evening… absolutely perfect soup weather!
Do you think spices will entice Denis to eat pumpkin soup?? Looks delicious!!
You can only try Mum! Perhaps it’s genetic? 😉 M.xx
Amazing photo!
Thank you very much! 🙂