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Squashapalooza Day III: Curried squash and carrot soup

Posted by Susan on
Curried squash and carrot soup
Curried squash and carrot soup

Squash remaining:  6.

Days remaining:  5.

One of our Pennsauken picker-uppers mentioned Monday that her go-to zucchini user-upper was a curried zuke soup. Mmmm. And Hmmm.

So this morning, after Greg the Plumber restored my kitchen to working order, I started chopping and sautéing. In about 45 minutes, I had a tasty jarred lunch for the next couple days. Bonus points for finding a use for the very tiny purple carrots in this week’s box, as well as another one of my backstock onions.

Yellow squash, spring onion, purple carrots, zucchini
Yellow squash, spring onion, purple carrots, zucchini (clockwise from top left)

Curried squash and carrot soup

makes 2-3 servings

  • 2 summer squash (I used one yellow and one zuke), chopped or shaved
  • 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped (I used a whole bunch of wee purple carrots)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1-1/2 tsp curry powder (I used a mixture of Penzeys sweet and hot)
  • juice of half a lemon
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

I was worried that I might end up with a watery soup, so I salted and drained the squash for 10 minutes while the onion cooked. That’s also why I added the carrots, hoping their starch might thicken things a bit. I suppose you could also add a potato. Or even a small amount of cooked rice. Or, if you think the soup still ends up a little thin, serve it over a scoop of cooked rice. Mine ended up plenty thick, though.

Put the squash into a colander set over a bowl or in the sink. Squeeze in the lemon juice, sprinkle with salt, toss it well, and let it rest.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook 5 minutes or so until soft. While the onion’s working, add the carrots and a splash of stock, and cover so that the carrots can braise for a few minutes to soften. Remove the lid, add the squash and garlic, and cook for a minute or two. When you can smell the garlic, add the curry powder and pepper. Stir well for a few more minutes. Add the stock; simmer for 20 minutes more.

This'd probably make a pretty great side dish if you stopped before you add the stock.
This’d probably make a pretty great side dish if you stopped before you add the stock.

Taste, and adjust seasoning.

Remove from heat. Purée with an immersion or upright blender (I used my Vitamix, which can accommodate large, hot batches; if you’re using a regular blender, use small batches and for your ceiling’s sake be careful with the steam).

Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt.

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