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Mary Berry Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup Recipe

Mary Berry Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup Recipe

Mary Berry's butternut squash and red pepper soup is a vivid, velvety, deeply warming soup with roasted squash and sweet peppers — completely wonderful.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Roasting Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 Portions
Course: Soup
Cuisine: British
Calories: 240
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup:
  • 1 large butternut squash about 1.2kg, peeled, deseeded, in 3cm chunks
  • 3 large red peppers halved and deseeded
  • 1 large red onion in wedges
  • 4 garlic cloves whole and unpeeled
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika for roasting
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 150 ml coconut cream or double cream
  • Juice of ½ lime or lemon
  • 1 tsp runny honey
  • Salt and pepper
  • To Serve:
  • Coconut cream or crème fraîche toasted pumpkin seeds, chilli oil, fresh coriander, crusty bread

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Toss squash, red onion, and unpeeled garlic cloves in 2 tbsp oil — season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Roast 35–40 minutes until golden. Place pepper halves skin-side up on a separate tray with remaining oil — roast until skins are charred. Cover peppers in cling film 10 minutes — peel and discard charred skins. Squeeze garlic from skins.
  2. Transfer all roasted vegetables to a large pan. Add cumin and coriander — stir 1 minute. Add stock — bring to boil. Simmer 10 minutes.
  3. Blend completely smooth — 2 full minutes.
  4. Return to gentle heat. Add coconut cream, lime juice, and honey. Warm through — do not boil. Season carefully. Taste and adjust.
  5. Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl cream. Scatter pumpkin seeds. Drizzle chilli oil. Add coriander. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes

Roast the vegetables — this single step is what separates a good soup from an extraordinary one.
Char the pepper skins and remove them — leaves pure, intensely flavoured, smoke-free flesh.
Roast garlic whole and unpeeled — gives mellow, sweet depth without any harshness.
Honey at the end balances residual bitterness — does not make the soup sweet.
Toasted pumpkin seeds give essential crunch contrast — worth the five minutes.
Freeze before adding cream for up to 3 months.
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