Dairy-Free Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Warm up with a bowl of our delicious Butternut Squash Soup!
The New Year is here! Your Holiday decorations are back in boxes, the planning has started to slow down, and you probably feel back into a routine. What better time to make something warm and cozy in your kitchen?
We love to start making soups at least once a week during the winter time. Our bodies craves the warmth, and there are so many ways to incorporate those winter flavors we love so much in soup. Butternut squash, when in season, is probably one of the most delicious foods out there (in our opinion). It's creamy, slightly sweet, and makes any dish feel decadent.
Butternut squash is incredibly nutritious. It has about 500 mg of potassium in just one cup, 7 grams of fiber, and tons of vitamins and minerals. Butternut squash is a good source of Vitamin A, which is important in the health of our vision, vitamin C, which supports our immunity, and it's also a great source of minerals including folate, zinc, and iron, all which support the health of our bones. All in all, butternut squash is a win.
We chose to flavor this soup with anti-inflammatory, immune boosting spices, like fresh ginger, garlic, and curry powder (hello, turmeric). Did you know that if you let crushed or chopped garlic sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes, it becomes even more of a superfood? An enzyme is triggered in this process that really boosts its antimicrobial properties, making it the most nutritious it can be for you. We also chose bone broth for digestive support and coconut milk for those healthy fats. The apple provides a nice natural sweetness, some extra fiber and antioxidants, and is yet another way we can obsess over Honeycrisp apple season. This combination truly makes "food is medicine" a thing.
TIP from Mel S.: How do you cut a butternut squash? I like to take a vegetable peeler and firmly press into the hard layer of skin, until you see the orange flesh. (Peel away from you). Once you've peeled back that hard layer, cut the top off (where the stem is) to create a flat surface, and very carefully cut the squash in half. Discard the seeds, and dice it into cubes.
Dairy Free Creamy Butternut Squash Soup : Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed (& roasted with drizzle of olive oil, cinnamon, & salt)
1 onion, divided (dice ½& cut other ½into quarters)
1 honey crisp apple, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes
2 cups of chicken bone broth (homemade or no salt or sugar added store bought)
1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
½ tablespoon curry powder
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Set oven to 400 degrees F.
On the same baking sheet, place the butternut squash and the onion in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil or coconut oil. Sprinkle cinnamon and salt over the squash and salt only on the onion. Roast for 30 minutes. Then set aside to cool.
In a large pot, heat the coconut oil over med/high heat, add other half of onion and apple and cook until softened. Season with salt.
Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and sauté for a minute.
Add the curry powder and stir briskly, to prevent scorching. Cook until fragrant.
Add the bone broth, roasted butternut squash and onion, and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add the coconut milk, stir, cover, and let simmer for about 15 min.
Transfer in batches carefully to a blender or use your immersion blender into the pot to combine. Taste and season with salt & pepper.
*Pretty garnishes for this include cilantro, basil, pomegranate seeds, or even some apple slice.
Photography Melissa Coulier
