Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

If you’ve never made soup before because you’ve always thought it’s going to be a right old faff to make and that it’s easier to just open up a tin of Heinz, then I’ve got just the recipe for you. Yes you’re gonna have to chop some veg, but seriously that’s as hard as it gets, because the slow cooker does the rest of the work for you.

The beauty of homemade soup is that you know exactly what’s gone into it, and unlike tinned soup that means no sugar, less salt and way more healthy goodness.

What’s In It?

1 Butternut Squash
1 Red Pepper
2 Red Birdseye Chillies
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
Boiling Water
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Salt and Pepper

How Do I Make It?

Using a sharp knife chop the long bit off of the butternut squash then halve the base. Remove the seeds and stringy bits from the base with a spoon. Carefully cut off the hard skin and then chop into 1-inch cubes. Put this into the slow cooker along with the chopped red pepper and chillies. Depending on how spicy you want it, you can remove the seeds from the chillies, but I whacked them all on in there when I made mine – but be warned it burns!

Cover the vegetables with boiling water, throw in the stock cube and smoked paprika then season with salt and pepper. Leave to cook on a slow heat until the butternut squash has softened.

Using a handblender blitz the veg in the slow cooker until it reaches a consistency you’re happy with – personally I like my soup super smooth, but if you like yours with a bit of a bite, just remember to hold off on the blending too much.

And that is literally it!

You can add more salt and pepper if you feel it needs it and of course if it’s still not spicy enough for you by all means bung in some more smoked paprika.

Top Tip – I love to top mine with a bit of natural yogurt and a scattering of pumpkin seeds, plus what is a bowl of soup without a huge chunk of bread on the side ready to get dunked!