Butternut Squash Soup

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, I had to include this wonderful butternut squash soup recipe I make every year. The spiced aromatics linger in my kitchen and bring a warm comfort, that is especially welcomed during the colder months. The soup's texture is velvety smooth with a pure finish and will have everyone going back for seconds and thirds. Not to mention it a skin-loving soup that will leave you glowing since it is made with almost entirely vegetables. It is also another great way to eat any vegetables (and even fruits) before they go bad since it is all blended together. I find that the more creative the ingredients are the more nuanced the flavor palette can become. So I encourage you to experiment by utilizing what else you can find in your kitchen such as sweet potatoes, cheese, celery, etc. You have a number of different options to cook the soup - although I prefer to roast the vegetables, you can save time and skip these steps (1-3) by just throwing the chopped ingredients into a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or stove pot then blending. It really is as simple as that! Serve the butternut squash with a drool-worthy crunchy grilled cheese sandwich, hearty bread, or a big salad to really pack in your daily vitamins.

Ingredients:

• olive oil for drizzling

• 1 butternut squash, halved down the middle

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

• 2 large carrots 🥕, peeled

• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger

• 1 green apple 🍏, cored and chopped

• 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth

• fresh sage

• fresh thyme

• chopped 🥓 or pancetta, for garnish

• fresh thyme

• 1/2 a cup of coconut 🥥 milk or heavy cream

• half a lime, juiced

• a pinch of cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg spices

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

• 1-2 bay leaves

Instructions:

Roast the vegetables (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Place the chopped vegetables and apples on a large pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the squash flesh side down and arrange the pan so there is enough room for the ingredients. Roast for 20 minutes.

3. After the vegetables are done roasting scoop the seeds out of the squash and place them back onto the pan then season with more salt and cook for another 10 more minutes. Make sure the squash is cooled thoroughly and carefully peel the skin off.

4. Stovetop -

Place all the ingredients in a large pot combine well. Cook until the vegetables are mashable, about 20-30 minutes.

Slow cooker -

Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Instant Pot/Pressure cooker -

Place all the ingredients in the pressure cooker and cook on high for 8 minutes and turn the valve to "venting" so there will be a quick release of pressure.

5. Remove the sage and bay leaves then use a handheld immersion blender or large smoothie blender to liquefy the ingredients until well combined. Lastly, add the coconut milk and taste to make sure it is seasoned to your liking.

6. Top with the toasted squash seeds and savory cooked bacon then enjoy!

Chef's Notes:

• Brown and/or wild rice would be a great texture addition if you are looking to incorporate some healthy starches.

• Use the Amazon links below for the same products I have and use.