This fragrant golden soup is a perfect recipe for spring; butternut squash soup with lemon and tahini. Light and delicious.
This butternut squash soup with lemon and tahini is brightly flavoured and has a velvety soft texture. It is ideal for those cold days of spring. Here in London the weather really cannot make its mind up – blue skies and sun one moment, then suddenly clouds, wind, snow or hail. It is also really not very warm at all, I am sitting at my desk typing layered in both a fleece and a sweater as well as fingerless gloves.
Usually by this time of year we would have taken the electric blanket off the bed, packed away some woolly sweaters and be eating lighter food. My butternut squash would be roasted and served with a tahini and lemon dressing, rather than packing all the flavours into a bowl of soup!
I love butternut squash and add one to my basket with every shop. Butternuts are really quite good for you; fat free, high in fibre, low GI, low in calories and are packed with beta catotene, vitamin C and the minerals selenium, zinc, manganese, magnesium and potassium. As well as being good for you butternut squash are versatile; they can be baked, roasted, boiled, spiralized, puréed or fried, gently toasted the seeds are delicious. I often keep a tub of roasted squash in the fridge of freezer to use in salads, stir fries, even smoothies and fritattas.
For this soup I baked the butternut squash to concentrate and sweeten the flavour, the tahini adds a depth and a velvet smoothness and the lemon lifts the soup and reminds me that it is supposed to be summer! If you like spices I think that some cumin, allspice or chilli would work well, but the three simple flavours used all combine to make a rounded whole, packed with layers of taste that really need no extra flavouring.
- Medium butternut squash
- Glug olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 750 ml | 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 heaped tablespoon tahini
- Zest and juice of one lemon
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Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, and bake at GM4/180C/350F for about 30 mins until soft. No need for a tray, just put the squash cut side up on the oven shelf.
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Meanwhile peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic and sweat in the olive oil in a deep pan until translucent and starting to turn golden brown. Remove the squash from the oven and discard the skin. Add to the pan along with the other ingredients.
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Simmer for 5 mins, and blend either with a food processor or with a stick blender.
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Serve piping hot, garnished with some green herbs.
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This soup freezes well.
If you love velvet smooth soups you may like my spiced pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato soup
or try a butternut squash, cranberry, apple and carrot juice
You may also like
- Camilla’s spelt butternut squash cake
- Kates squash & kale pearl barley risotto
- Laura’s squash and sage risotto
This sounds great. I wouldn’t have thought to put tahini in, so I’m going to try it. Other squash though, as I don’t have a butternut, and this year’s haven’t got going yet.
Thanks for sharing
Joanna
Goodness me Joanna, that is the quickest that anyone has ever commented on a post on my blog. I have not even managed to get the photo up yet!
I think it will work with any squash, pumpkin, courgette or marrow.
H
What a lovely idea to put some tahini in your soup. I shall have to try that one out. We’re into pumpkin and soup season here in Australia.
And I had NO IDEA you could melt stick blenders. I’ve never thought to be cautious about blending hot soup. Yikes.
Grey? Raining? Isn’t it meant to be the beginning of your Summer?
I’m sorry!
Gorgeous recipe though. I agree with Kathryn, tahini is a lovely addition.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! – this soup looks, and sounds so wonderful. I’ve had the same experience with stick blenders myself!! :o))
Kathryn – It was a very cheap Tesco economy stick blender, I should treat myself to a better one, but it did the job well until I melted it!
Christie – the weather has warmed up finally – I am keeping my fingers crossed that it stays sunny.
Alfie – I am glad that it is not just me that destroys blenders!
I made both this soup and your Asian inspired white bean dip on the weekend. Both are bloody delicious and easy to make.
I’ve been having the dip on toast for breakfast. But I’m also going to use it to spark up my lunch today – a salad wrap.
My partner R doesn’t like pumpkin, but he highly enjoyed your soup – with the citrus and tahini richness. So thanks for posting both of these.
Kathryn,.
I am so glad that you made and enjoyed this! I have had if again from the freezer and it was even better!
We will have to try this one soon, tahini is Adam’s favourite ingredient so we are always looking for new recipes that use it in unique ways. We should do a full tahini cook book!
that sounds delicious! I love butternut squash, all squashes in fact.I was addicted to tahini a whole ago, just straight out of the jar like peanut butter, and bought like 10 jars of the stuff. Now I’ve weaned myself off my addiction, I’m at a loss as to what to do with all these jars of tahini, glad to have found a way to use them!
Oooh, you had me at tahini and lemon – this sounds totally delicious, really lovely flavours. Thanks for linking to my risotto!
I love this soup – such a delicate flavour and beautiful texture.
I love Butternut Squash soup but have never had tahini it so really want to try this now, it looks so creamy and delicious! Thanks for including my recipe;-)
It makes such a difference to the texture. I suppose you could use a nut butter too.
I love butternut squash soup and always look for new days to cook it. Not tried adding tahini before so you have given me a new idea.
It is a twist on peanut butter. It makes the most amazing texture.
Mmm yum! I just happen to have all of these ingredients on hand! I think I might have to make this for lunch today!
It is my absolute favourite soup. A ray of sunshine in a bowl.
This looks fantastic. I love squash and was just talking to my husband about needing to find new ways to prepare it as summer arrives and our gardens are producing a bounty of yellow and butternut squash!
I adore both squash and pumpkin – I wish they were more of a British thing, as there really are not very many varieties available. So jealous of your vegetable patch!
Wow. Now this looks absolutely yum! I do make a lot of squash soup especially in the winter. Must pin this :)
I wish it would stop being winter and proper spring would come along.
I’m here in sunny California and the weather is having the same hard time making up its mind. I keep putting away winter linens only to pull them back out again a couple of days later, so you’re not alone! This soup looks soooo good, perfect for any weather. I love the tahini in there. It sounds like a perfect addition.
It is layering weather with the top layer being a ski jacket! I am so fed up with it.
We still have a chill in the air here in Ohio. This creamy soup would be the perfect starter to dinner or even dinner alone. I love butternut squash and your addition of tahini and lemon in this soup sounds divine.
I cannot wait for some warmer weather, fed up of this cold snap now.
On this cold and rainy May Day in New York, that soup looks wonderful!
I’ve never used tahini with squash, and it sounds just perfect! I’m about to pick up a jar of it for some specific recipes, and have been delighted to see more and more ideas for using it. (I’m all about making any food earn its space in my fridge or cabinet.)
Tahini is amazing in soups as it thickens and has the most wonderful texture. It is a twist on all those African recipes that use peanut butter to flavour and thicken dishes.
Want to trade weather for a day? I trimmed the grass yesterday in 96 degrees (f) here in McAllen, Texas! I love the combinations of tahini, lemon, and butternut squash, and I’d probably eat it even though we don’t have anything that resembles cool weather here :-) I hope your days become more seasonal soon, Helen!
I’d love to swap for a day – although is it very humid where you are? I think this soup should work chilled? I need to try it.
I bet this is so tasty – the colours are so inviting too! x
It is our favourite. I fist blogged this in 2008, and just revived the photos.
I like the sound of this soup urx different from what I usually go for.
It is good to ring the changes!
I dont think I have ever cooked with tahini and ive never used lemon in a soup, so that is two firsts for me today Helen!
Lemon in soup is amazing, it just lightens and brightens the taste. My not so secret, secret ingredient!
I have fallen for those beautiful blue soup bowls big time Helen. It’s most definitely soup weather here today with the muzzle and drizzle and a bowl of this would be very welcome. Squash soup is my all time favourite, I just love its velvety smoothness as well as colour and flavour.
I love those soup bowls, my mother found them and gave them to me one Christmas. I love their shape, the handle is perfect for curling your thumb around.
I have never made butternut squash soup, I wouldn’t know where to start! This recipe looks like something I could manage, I will give it a try, thank you!
Let me know how you get on. So long as you sauté the onions, and roast the squash properly you cannot go that wrong.
This looks absolutely lovely and fairly easy to make which is a bonus.
Thanks Danny. I am all about easy to make food!
This sounds and looks delicious. What a great idea, I love soup. You photos are amazing too
Thanks Kizzy, soup is the perfect comfort food.
I love butternut squash soup! This is going on my list of things to make, thank you for sharing!
Chloe
Butternut squash really is the best soup – I adore the texture.
Thanks for sharing your recipes, soup is perfect for the weather we’re having right now! I can’t wait to try the Spiced Pumpkin, Carrot and Sweet Potato!
It really is soup weather still. I loved that pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato soup. Time to make it again.
I have just got a soup maker so going to give these a try. The Butternut squash and tahini sounds amazing
It would be even easier in a soup maker!
I love the sound of this soup. It sounds just up my street. :) Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will have to give it a try this week.
Enjoy it! It is so delicious.
I normally make butternut with peanut butter so would love to try a version with tahini. Looks so good.
I love peanut butter in soups, so rich and decadent.
I had never thought of combining butternut squash with tahini but it looks like a delicious addition to an already exciting soup!
The tahini thickens and adds a glorious texture.