Butternut squash quinoa soup is great comfort food, and is our version of squash (pumpkin) soup, so well-loved around the world. We roast butternut squash with garlic, cumin and honey and then use this as the base for the soup. Topped with a garnish of spiced quinoa, the soup takes on a bit of crunch and a slight heat. If you enjoy butternut squash soup, try this recipe for some real international flair. The soup can be prepared in advance so it is just a matter of heating it up when you are ready to enjoy it.
Pumpkin is a very popular vegetable in Melbourne. Not just during the autumn.
Have a wander around Melbourne streets to investigate what the city has to offer. And then come home and prepare this butternut squash soup. A soup with some attitude.
A great recipe for autumn/fall and winter, it’s easy to make, easy on the pocket, filling, tasty and healthy. What more do you want?
Squash/Pumpkin Popularity
There are many different squash varieties available with the most popular being grey, butternut (our recommendation for this recipe) and Japanese. Squash is also very affordable being one of the cheaper vegetables you can buy. Squash doesn’t have a strong flavor and has a creamy-like texture so it goes with many different meats, vegetables, pulses, nuts and herbs. Squash provides great color to anything it is added to. It also has a longer “shelf life” than most vegetables and doesn’t take long to cook.
Squash (or pumpkin as they are known in Australia) are very popular in Melbourne and Australia. Paying homage to its old English heritage, in Melbourne the traditional Sunday lunch-time roast whether it be beef, lamb, chicken or pork is still extremely popular. Along with potatoes, squash is a favorite vegetable to add to the roasting pan. My first memories of eating squash are with the Sunday roast, which we had every week!
Squash: a Multi-Cultural Vegetable
But Melbourne is a more multi-cultural place than when I grew up. Squash is a very popular ingredient in Indian food as well as middle-eastern foods, both of which are common and well-loved in Melbourne.
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Indeed, this recipe is a real fusion of many different tastes and cultures. There is a little bit of the Middle East, India and Peru in this dish. And that sums up Melbourne cuisine, multi-cultural. It has been very interesting to watch the slow and steady rise of southern European, Asian and now Middle Eastern cuisines gain in popularity so that they are now on an equal footing if not more influential, than the traditional meat and three veg so common in the 1950’s and 60’s.
The great winner in all of this is the general public with so much more choice now available for selecting restaurants and cooking at home. With these ingredients now so readily available from markets and the internet making it so easy to find out information about other cuisines, there has never been a better time than now to be a curious cook.
So celebrate the multi-cultural world we live in and make this seasoned, butternut squash quinoa soup. You will enjoy it and impress your family and friends.
If you would like some more pumpkin/squash recipes, try here:
Want to read more about Melbourne and its cuisine? Try here:
- Melbourne, world’s best for sport?
- Healthy avocado squash for breakfast
- 5 Insider Tips for Enjoying Fantastic Food in Melbourne
More Winter Warmer Soup Options
Fancy some other soups to try from around the world that are perfect for winter. Try these ones:
Do you like some spice in your diet? If so, either of these two classic, South East Asian soups fit the the bill. Thailand’s Tom Yum Soup and Vietnam’s Beef Noodle Pho are popular everywhere around the world.
Another popular soup to make is Black Bean Soup. Our versions hails from Guatemala, with a great garnish that will be popular with all of your family.
How about some Turkish options? Red Lentil Soup or Yogurt Soup are found throughout Turkey. Find out why.
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time |
| 6people | 20minutes | 70minutes |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6people | 20minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 70minutes |
- 2 lb butternut squash (pumpkin) cut in half lengthways with seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes dried, red
- salt, ground sea
- black pepper, ground
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- Spiced Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes dried, red
- 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, grated grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
|
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
|
- Pre-heat oven to 350 f (180 c)
- Place the garlic cloves in the hollows of the butternut squash. Drizzle the olive oil and the honey over the garlic and squash halves. Then sprinkle the cumin and dried red chilli flakes over everything. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile make the spiced quinoa. Rinse the quinoa with water and then soak for 15 minutes by adding the quinoa and 1 & 1/4 cups of water to a saucepan. After the 15 minutes, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes, fluff with a fork and let cool. Drain and place the cooked quinoa in a bowl add the remaining spiced quinoa ingredients and stir to combine. Put aside.
- When the squash is cooked, pour any liquid that has accumulated in the hollows, into a large saucepan. Allow the squash to cool for 10 minutes and when cool enough to handle, use a spoon to remove the squash flesh and spices and add to the saucepan. Add the chicken stock. When the soup boils, cover and then simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Use a stick blender to puree the soup.
- Serve the soup into bowls and top with the spiced quinoa.
Lara Dunning
I just made the butternut squash soup. To die for!! One of my favorite spices is cumin so this is becoming one of my regular favs.
Editor
So glad to hear that Lara. Cumin has to be close to my favorite spice also. It’s in so many different cuisines also. Thanks for your comment.
Teresa
I love pumpkin soup, the quinoa addition sound delicious too 🙂
Editor
Teresa, It does give it a bit of an added dimension. It is a lovely soup.
Sabrina Modelle
Wow, this looks absolutely fantastic. It’s on my must-try list.
Editor
Good for you Sabrina, you’ll love it. Thanks for your comment.
Lara Dunning
Love all of these ingredients! I need to make this!
Editor
It is a seriously good soup. Thanks for your comment Lara.
Lia
What a delicious recipe!
Editor
Thanks for that comment. It has a slightly different flavor with the honey and cumin.
Germaine
Interesting! This was you could eat the quinoa separate as leftovers….Good idea thanks
Editor
That’s a nice take on leftovers. The quinoa is good by itself and could be used as a side with other dishes for sure. Thanks for your comment….Mark
Helen @ family-friends-food.com
This looks delicious and I love the idea of the spicy quinoa topping.
Editor
Thanks Helen. The spicy quinoa gives it some texture. It’s a nice contrast with the smoothness of the soup.
Jenn
I love the idea of topping soup with quinoa for a nice little pop! Love it!
Editor
Yes that is a good word. I like the different textures of the soup versus the quinoa topping. Thanks for your comment.
Christen
Looks like a delicious soup! Pinned it for later!
Editor
Thanks Christen. Hard to beat butternut squash soup. Cheers….Mark