Butternut Squash & Pancetta Soup

A wonderfully warming and comforting soup – perfect for a chilly night. You could try using cubes of chorizo instead of pancetta, or make it veggie with a can of cooked chickpeas or butterbeans. What you must do, though, is serve it with lots of crusty bread.

30 mins
Serves 4
Gluten Free
Beginner

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

Pinch of smoked paprika

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 medium red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped

700g butternut squash (about 1 ½ butternut squash), peeled and cut into chunks

400ml/14floz fresh vegetable stock or (2tsp vegetable bouillon powder dissolved in water)

150g/5 ½ oz pancetta, cubed (or chorizo sausage, diced)

125ml/4floz Greek Style Natural Yogurt

Freshly ground black pepper to season

3tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Try it with...

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion, paprika, garlic and chilli over a low heat for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the butternut squash and stir for another 2 minutes.
2. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the butternut squash is tender. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process in batches until smooth.
3. Chop the pancetta into small dice (remove any skin). Fry the pancetta or chorizo in a pan (without any oil) for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden.
4. Return the soup to a clean pan. Stir in the pancetta or chorizo and yogurt. Simmer gently for a couple of minutes until hot. Season to taste.
5. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle over the chopped coriander to serve.

Storage: This soup will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. It can be frozen (without the chorizo and yogurt) for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge then stir in the yogurt and chorizo and heat through

Variations: Try using pumpkin instead of butternut squash.