Delicious Butternut Squash Soup

A warming and nourishing soup with a hint of tumeric, this butternut squash soup recipe is delicious, naturally vegan and gluten free. It comes together in one pot and is easy to make. 

When October hits, I relish on everything cozy. Cozy sweaters. Cozy pyjamas. And? Cozy soups! This is one of many that I’ll be making this autumn and into winter!

Digging into a bowl is the most satisfying way to enjoy local produce and the cool weather. It’s nourishing. It’s comforting. It’s so easy to make!

Sometimes simple recipes turn out far better than you expected and that’s definitely what you’ll find with this recipe! It’s the perfect bowl when you want something light to eat but can act like a main meal too!

What makes this recipe so incredible?

I used to think making soups were so complicated. It just looked like there were so many ingredients needed to make the soup taste good.

But this soup isn’t complicated at all! All you need is some pantry ingredients. One of the stars of this soup is tumeric. Tumeric has a powerful compound called curcumin. When paired with pepper, it can treat skin conditions, inflammation, irregular digestion and so much more!

White beans are also another star of this show. They’re usually the first go-to bean to add to casseroles and stews. The taste is delicate and nutty which pairs wonderfully with the butternut squash.

Butternut squash is also quite nutty but if you’re worried this soup will taste too “earthy” you needed worry! The combination of spices really do bring the taste of the soup from earthiness to cozy and delicious.

The combination of flavours and spices to create this soup

While this soup is flavourful, it doesn’t have a ton of spices and flavours. Simple is really what makes this recipe so easy!

• Garlic – has antiviral properties
• Cumin – a warming spice that also gives a nutty tone to a dish
• Ginger – sweet and spicy. It gives this soup a little pop!
• Tumeric – musky and vividly orange in colour. It gives this dish a rich flavour and colour!
• Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice gives this dish a glorious savoury flavour

How do you make this recipe?

We start off with adding oil to a pan and letting it get warm. Cook the onion with a mix of my spices, ginger and garlic. The result should be a fantastic aroma that wafts through the kitchen. This is your base to give this recipe its depth of flavour!

Add in your squash that’s been cubed. Stir on low for 10 minutes until softened but not mushy. It’s important that it is tender but still has some firmness to it. The soup will turn all mushy if your cubes are too soft. If the squash is sticking, add a splash of olive oil. Alternatively, you could roast your cubes and then toss it in the soup at the end with your beans.

Once the onions have softened, add everything to the pot, including the tomato paste and lots of vegetable broth. Add your bay leaves as well. Bring everything to a boil and then lower the temperature and let it simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

If you’d like to thicken the soup, take a cup of soup stock and add your corn starch to it. If you add the corn starch directly to the pot it will clump up. Mixing it in a small amount of stock vigorously will allow it to dissolve completely before adding it.

Shut off the heat and stir in your white beans and kale. Add some fresh ground pepper and red chili flakes to pump up the heat.

Garnishes

Serve this soup with bread or croutons! It’s so delicious with a side of crusty bread! My children like the Ace baguette and cut them into thin slices. Perfect as a spoon AND a dipper.

You can also add some red chili flakes to make the it taste a bit more spicier!

Kale Chips

Kale chips are delicious on its own and to garnish your bowl
All you need to do is wash your kale well and also dry them REALLY well. The worst thing is to have soggy kale chips!

Leave aside for a moment and gather your oil and spices. Here’s where you can get creative! You can use:

• nutritional yeast for a cheesy taste
• salt and a splash of vinegar for the traditional salt and vinegar flavour
• taco seasonings
• curry powder
• the sky’s the limit!

I took one tbsp of olive oil (or avocado or coconut oil) and 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of garlic powder and mixed it together.

Tear your kale leaves from the stem and place them into a big mixing bowl. Pour your mixture over top and distribute it evenly. Take your time to massage each leaf so everything is well coated.

I then popped it into the oven at 225F. I would keep them spread out as much as possible and even doing a second batch if you feel that the kale is too overcrowded.

Bake for 15 minutes, watching it so it doesn’t burn. Then remove the tray from the oven and flip the kale chips over and return back to the oven. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, eying the oven very closely. Too long and the kale can burn very easily!

Sage

To make fried sage leaves, simply take a small frying pan and coat it with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil. Let it heat to medium low. Add in your sage leaves being careful not to overcrowd them. Add a small dusting of salt on top for flavour. Use it to garnish whole or crushed.

Alternatives to the recipe

Soups are so versatile and easy swaps can be made if you’re not a fan of one ingredient.

1. Roasted Butternut squash – roasting is an option as it brings out the natural sweetness of the squash and makes the dish a little bit more sweeter.
2. Sweet potato – you can easily swap butternut squash for a sweet potato
3. Beans – if you’d rather have lima beans or pinto beans or even black beans, it’s an easy swap!
4. Spice – you could add smoked paprika or sprinkle red chilli flakes on top
5. Garnishes – have fun with your toppings! Fried sage, kale, and croutons would be all great additions to this soup!
6. Add more vegetables – you could add something neutral like zucchini or red peppers that wouldn’t take too much away from the flavours of this soup.
7. Spinach – you can use spinach in lieu of kale
8. Apple – you can sweeten it with the addition of chopped up apples. Add it towards the end to make sure they stay crunchy!