Last fall when I was living in Russia I repeatedly tried to make this soup, but it never came out right. You can find butternut squash in Omsk, but it is quite expensive and only sold at one store, so I tired making it with pumpkin which is everywhere and cheap. This did not create the same full flavor and is a substitution I do not recommend. The other problem I ran into is that I could not find cannellini beans at any store in the city, so I made do with a small white bean that lacked the creaminess of the cannellini. Eventually, I had to give up on making it. This year I am excited to be able to easily find all the ingredients and once again make it one of my go to soups.
As you will see in the recipe below, it is an easy and fast soup to put together. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
2 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 c. coconut milk
1 can cannellini beans (with liquid)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. sage
- Precook the squash either by roasting it in the oven or microwaving it. For both, cut the squash in half lengthwise and place in a glass dish. To roast set your oven to 400 and rub the cut side of the squash with olive oil. To Microwave put a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the dish and cover with saran wrap (leave a small opening for the steam to escape).
- Add all the ingredients except the coconut milk to a large soup pot.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients until smooth.*
- Bring the blended soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes to blend the flavors.
- Lower the fire and add the coconut milk. Let it come together for another 5 minutes and then serve.
- If you are reheating the soup later it is best not to bring it all the way to a boil. It reheats fine in the microwave as well.