Butternut Squash & Pancetta Soup

30 mins | Serves 4

A wonderfully warming and comforting butternut squash and pancetta soup – perfect for a chilly autumn night. Mix it up by using cubes of chorizo instead of pancetta, or make it veggie with a can of cooked chickpeas or butterbeans. For a tasty Halloween dinner, you can use pumpkin instead of butternut squash. What you must do, though, is serve it with lots of crusty bread.

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

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion, paprika, garlic and chilli over a lowheat 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 butternut squash and pancetta soup will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can keep it frozen for up to a month, but freeze it without the pancetta / chorizo and yoghurt – add them once it’s defrosted.