Spicy Opo Squash Soup with Noodles | Slimming World

Delicious Spicy Opo Squash Soup with Noodles - perfectly creamy with the delicate flavours of coconut milk

I know what you are wondering, what on earth is an Opo Squash - it's a bit like an oversized courgette (zucchini), but with a pale firmer skin. Depending on the size of the squash, it tends to be seedy in the centre. So I peel, cut in half, scoop out any big seeds from the centre and then chop into chunks ready to make this soup.

Other names for this type of squash are bottle gourd, Cucuzza (reminds me of The BFG), Tasmania Bean or Snake Gourd and can look slightly different depending on where it is grown.

As with any time of squash, the Opo Squash is a speed food on Slimming World and a great addition to this soup. They are extremely low in calories and packed with vitamins.

How can I make this Soup if I can't find any Opo Squash?

That's really easy, just replace the Opo Squash with some courgette (zucchini) and you can enjoy this soup. I've made it with both in the past and there isn't much difference in taste.

For the flavour, I make up a lovely curry paste myself in my Mortar and Pestle from lemongrass, curry powder, tomato paste, fresh chilli, garlic and ginger. Amazing flavours for this type of soup.

Any kind of soup or curry with these kinds of flavour really needs that umami (savoury taste) flavour and for that, we use fish sauce. Don't worry if you don't like fish, the soup doesn't end up tasting of fish, it just gives amazing flavour to the broth.

For the coconut milk, I recommend using light canned rather than from a carton. Carton coconut milk tends to be more for drinking and pouring on cereals etc in place of dairy milk and doesn't give quite the same creaminess that you will get from the canned varieties. I like to use Aroy-d coconut milk as it has no thickening agents, or preservatives, the ingredients are just coconut extract and water. But any light coconut milk is fine. They all have a similar syn value, but just double check the one you use.

I blend ¾ of the soup in my Nutri Ninja Blender with Auto IQ   once ready. This blender is amazing. The auto IQ technology feature, mean it blends to a set pattern depending on what it is you are making. There is also an optional add-on for a food processor bowl, which is perfect for chopping and grating vegetables. Sauces and soups are literally so smooth, once completed with this amazing kitchen gadget.

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By not blending all the soup, you still keep some chunks of the vegetables, which makes the soup more hearty. But if you prefer an all smooth soup, feel to blend it all.

Don’t worry though if you don’t have a full-size blender like mine. A stick immersion blender, like this Koölle Electric Powerful 3-in-1 800 Watt Hand Stick Blender will work just as well.

For the noodles, I just used egg noodles, as you can through them into the soup and they don't need to be cooked first, simmering them in the soup will cook them perfectly. If however, you are gluten-free, I recommend using rice noodles, but it is best to cook those separately and stir them into the soup at the end, as they can be a lot more sticky.

If you love soup recipes like this one, I also have these other delicious soup recipes below: 

• Syn Free Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• Syn Free Turkey Taco Soup
• Spicy Roasted Parsnip and Sweet Potato Soup
• Vegetable and Pearl Barley Soup
• Chicken Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup
• Chicken, Bean and Rice Soup
• Syn Free Chicken and Vegetable Soup
• Syn Free Split Pea and Bacon Soup
• Syn Free Spicy Sweet Potato, Red Pepper and Carrot Soup
• Syn Free Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Soup
• Syn Free Sweetcorn and Leek Soup

and if that’s not enough to choose from, don’t forget my FULL RECIPE INDEX with over 500+ delicious Slimming World Recipes.

WHAT KITCHEN ITEMS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS SPICY OPO SQUASH SOUP WITH NOODLES.

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Spicy Opo Squash Soup with Noodles | Slimming World

Prep 10 mins

Cook 35 mins

Total 45 mins

Author Slimming Eats

Yield 4 servings

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly

• Extra Easy - 3 syns per serving
• Green/Vegetarian - 3 syns per serving
• WW Smart Points - 5
• Gluten Free - use rice noodles (but cook first and add in at the end)

*suitable for freezing - but best frozen without the noodles

Ingredients

• 600g/21oz Opo Squash (or if you can’t get hold of one of these you can use 3 large courgettes/zucchini’s)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 dried lemongrass stalk, soaked to soften
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger
• 1-2 red chillies, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons of hot curry powder
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 600ml/2.5 cups of vegetable stock
• 400ml/14 fl oz of light coconut milk 
• 150g/5.5oz of egg noodles 
• freshly chopped coriander to serve
• spray oil

Instructions

1. Peel the Opo squash, cut in half and scrape out seeds. Roughly chop.
2. Spray a large casserole pot/saucepan over a medium heat with spray oil. Add the onion and Opo squash and cook for a few minutes to soften.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass stalk, curry powder, red chilli and tomato paste to a Mortar and pestle or mini food processor and grind to a paste.
4. Add the paste to the onion and opo squash and cook for a further few minutes to coat in all he spice
5. Add the stock and fish sauce to the pan, bring to a boil and then simmer on a low heat covered for approx 20mins
6. Add ¾ the soup to a blender, leaving the remaining half in the pot, and blend till smooth.
7. Add back to the pot, along with the egg noodles and light coconut milk, bring to a boil and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes until noodles are softened.
8. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with freshly chopped coriander. 
9. Enjoy !!

Notes

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving

Amount Per Serving
Calories 147
% Daily Value
Total Fat 6.2 g		10%
	Saturated Fat 4 g	20%
Sodium 530 mg		22%
Total Carbohydrates 18 g		6%
	Dietary Fiber 1.7 g	7%
	Sugars 3.9 g
Protein 4.5 g		9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.