Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup

I've been buying winter squash when they are on sale and trying different recipes with them. I've made Butternut Squash Soup/Bisque before but I've seen several recipes lately that added red curry paste for a Thai twist. I grabbed a few of those and this is what I came up with.

• 1 large butternut squash 
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
• 5 mini red bell peppers (it's what I had on hand, use a regular red bell if that's what you have)
• 1 can Thai coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped (for garnish)
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped (for garnish)
• Sriracha (for garnish and flavor)

Cut the butternut squash in half (be careful those things are hard to cut) and remove the seeds. Place in a casserole dish with a bout 1 inch of water and microwave for 10 minutes. (I had to do each half separately since my dish wasn't large enough.)

Once they are cool enough to handle peel the squash (they are much easier to peel if you cook them first.)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add onion until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.

Add the minced garlic, ginger and diced red pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes.

Add the squash, coconut milk, curry paste and peanut butter and heat just until peanut butter melts into the sauce.

Use an immersian blender and puree the mixture until it's nice and smooth.

Return pot to a low heat, add lime juice and stir. Cook for about 10 minutes until it's warm all the way through.

Ladle soup into bowls, taste - adjust seasonings if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Enjoy!