As promised in my previous post, I am sharing my recipe for Butternut Squash Soup. This is a thick soup with tons of flavour. It's super easy, fast to make, and is a great way to get a large dose of veggies into the munchkins. I started making this, religiously, back in the fall when squashes came into season. My little one, Forest, was starting solids so I needed a recipe that my entire family could eat so that I wasn't busy spending all my time in the kitchen slaving away over the stove making the "older" family, one meal, and the baby another. Personally I'd rather spend the time, with them, eating. Hehe. Anyone who has a little one, or has spent time with one, knows it has to be made fast. So what is easier than soup, especially blended soups. Soups are nutritious, filling and packed with flavour. This recipe takes, approximately, 25 minutes from start to finish. There is a misconception that squash takes a long time to prepare. But most squash if cut up into 1-inch cubes takes an average of 7 mins to steam or 8-10 minutes to boil. I personally like to cook my foods as little as possible, the idea behind this is to avoid heating foods too much as heat can destroy the foods nutrients and enzymes. Food's enzymes boost digestion and fight chronic disease, in short you kill the food. So I've always opt for shortest cooking times. So in saying that, lets get started!
What you need:
- 1 Medium Butternut Squash
- 2 Roma Tomatoes
- 1 Medium Onion
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Celery Sticks
- 1 tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 6-8 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 1-2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
The how to:
- Peel butternut squash and cut it in half, then remove seeds. Chop into 1-inch cubes.
- Chop onion, carrots, and celery. Warm oil in a large pot on med-high heat, when oil begins to shimmer, sauté onions, carrots and celery until they begin to caramelize (3-5 mins).
- Add tomatoes and butternut squash.
- Pour in vegetable stock. For a thicker soup use less stock, and for a thinner soup use more. Bring to a boil.
- Cover and simmer for 7-10 mins until vegetables are fork tender.
- Blend all contents of the pot in a counter top blender or with an immersion blender in the pot.
- Add coconut sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: You can always roast the vegetables before hand and then just blend with hot stock. Season the same way and serve. Roasting take's a bit longer. 25-30 minutes if you cube the squash, or 40-60 minutes if you cut the squash in half, remove seeds, rub with oil and put faced down on baking sheet.
