Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash is traditionally a Fall vegetable even though it’s available mostly year-round at grocery stores. No matter what time of year it is, I love making this soup as it’s easy to make, nutritious, rich, satisfying and delicious. Don’t shy away from a butternut squash – it is remarkably easy to peel! Acorn squash not so much but that’s a recipe for another time!
Butternut Squash, high in fibre and low in calories, is member of the pumpkins and zucchini family. It is technically a fruit! It is a superfood, loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is a rich source of vitamins A, C and E and a good source of calcium, copper, iron and phosphorous.
Squash is among the oldest known crops, dating back 10,000 years to Mexico and Central America. The name squash comes from the Native American word "askutasquash," which means eaten uncooked or raw.
Hemp Hearts are rich in essential fatty acids, are a high-quality plant-based protein source. containing a vitamin B complex, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.
As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Butternut Squash Soup goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep time: 15 Minutes / Cook Time: 30 Minutes / Completion Time: 5 Minutes / Number of Servings: 6-8 (depending on the size of your bowls)
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil – alternate: avocado oil, coconut oil or another neutral cooking oil
1 Large Yellow Cooking Onion – diced
4 Cloves Garlic – sliced
2 teaspoons Grated Ginger – see my tip for freezing ginger
1 Large Butternut Squash – washed, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ Cup Hemp Hearts – plus additional to garnish the soup when serving
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Dried Ground Rosemary
½ teaspoon Dried Ground Sage
¼ teaspoon Dried Ground Turmeric
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne or a teaspoon of hot sauce – personal favourite for this soup is Lord’s Limey Bender So good!
5-6 Cups Vegetable Bouillon or Broth – homemade or store bought
Generous Pinch of Herbed Seasoned Sea Salt or Plain Sea Salt
Generous Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper
1/3 Cup Coconut Milk or milk of your choice – optional
Grated Parmesan Cheese - for serving
How It’s Made:
Slice the garlic and onions and set aside, this allows them both to create their nutritional magic!
Prepare the butternut squash.
In a large-sized sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes or until the onion is becoming translucent, stirring so the onion does not burn.
Stir in the garlic and grated ginger and cook, stirring, for a minute, again, watch that these do not burn.
Add the cubed butternut squash, hemp hearts, parsley, rosemary, sage, turmeric, cayenne (or hot sauce) and stir to mix with the onion, garlic and ginger.
Add 5 cups of the bouillon/broth – the liquid should cover the squash – if you need more liquid (as butternut squash differ in sizes and your large squash might be bigger than the ones I use that 5 cups cover), add more bouillon/broth or water to cover, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer gently for 30 minutes until the squash is soft and easily pierced with a sharp knife.
With a hand-held immersion blender, puree the mixture in the pot until it is smooth. Alternately you can process the soup in a blender in smaller batches, (carefully as it will be very hot!) returning the smooth soup back to the pot. The texture should be on the thick side. If it’s too thick add the coconut milk or extra broth and stir. Coconut milk can be added even it it’s not too thick as it gives the soup an even creamier texture and adds to the flavour, calming the spice.
Season with the herbed seasoned sea salt and grinds of fresh black pepper to your taste.
Serve in pretty bowls and garnish each with some grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of hemp hearts.
(And notice the bread in the background of the last photo? That's my recently posted Oat and Seed Loaf, my March @YorkRegion column recipe - super easy to make and goes GREAT with this soup!)
Enjoy!
