Butternut Squash & Carrot Souper Soup
As soon as the temp drops below 55º, I crave comfort food. Soups, stews, sweet potatoes, anything I can soak up. My body wants warmth from the inside out and is instinctually drawn toward root veggies or dishes that remind me of my youth. Making them in big batches with clean, fresh ingredients brings me joy in knowing that I'm taking good care of myself by having healthy foods prepped and ready to eat. I found this turkey spinach meatball recipe that I could eat every day and this Thai Chicken makes my whole family happy. Then, I tagged a bunch of B+B recipes as comfort foods, so you have lots of easily searchable blog post options. Also check out the soup section on our recipe page. This butternut squash soup is a new addition and has gotten rave reviews from friends who I have recently surprised with a mason jar full. I found it from Chef Joanne Weir's website. She has a Mexican restaurant outside of San Fran. Sounds dreamy, right? Until I can get there, I'll have this soup staple my fridge all fall long. Here's her recipe with some little tweaks...
Ingredients
Butternut squash (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
3 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion chopped
1 1⁄2 tsp sweet paprika
1 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1 1⁄2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
4 large carrots coarsely chopped
1 tsp coconut sugar (lower glycemic than regular)
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1⁄2 cup plain yogurt (optional)
3 T chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 375°F.
Cut the squash in half from top to bottom and place it, cut side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until the squash can be easily be pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly. With a spoon, remove and discard the seeds. Scrape the pulp from the skin. Discard the skin.
Warm the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, 7 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, turmeric, and coriander and continue to cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the squash, carrots, sugar, chicken stock, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, until the carrots are soft, 20-25 minutes. (Sometimes, I do this step and let it simmer while the squash is cooking. Then add the squash when it's ready, bring it all to a quick boil and then cool.)
Let cool for 15 minutes. Purée the soup, in several batches, in a blender until it is very smooth, 3 minutes per batch. If the soup is too thick, add a little water or stock.
Season it with salt and pepper, and stir well.
Ladle the hot soup into soup bowls, garnish with the cilantro and a drizzle of yogurt if you do dairy, and serve.
SERVES: 6, FILLS 2 TALL MASON JARS AND ONE SHORT ONE
TIME: 60 mins cook time, 30 mins active
HEARTFUL RECIPE - One of our real food recipes that focuses on veggies, protein, healthy fats and/or healthy carbs and doesn't include gluten, dairy, soy, refined sugar, corn or peanuts.
