Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Recipe warming enough to knock the chill off of a Polar Vortex Snow Day!
Warm your bones and prepare your body for subzero temps with this nourishing + delicious vegan butternut squash winter soup. Ginger, cayenne, black pepper & cinnamon cultivate heat, while turmeric supports immune function and reduces inflammation, improving connective tissue and joint comfort + flexibility. Cardamom soothes the mind and lifts the spirits. Pepitas, rich in zinc and iron, support healthy hemoglobin and white blood cell functions, keeping energy levels high and telling the common cold and flu to take a hike!
Polar Vortex Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Warm your bones and prepare your body for subzero temps with this nourishing + delicious winter soup. Ginger, cayenne, black pepper & cinnamon cultivate heat, while turmeric supports immune function and reduces inflammation, improving connective tissue and joint comfort + flexibility. Cardamom soothes the mind and lifts the spirits. Pepitas, rich in zinc and iron, support healthy hemoglobin and white blood cell functions, keeping energy levels high and telling the common cold and flu to take a hike!
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut squash medium to large size
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled in minced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups organic vegetable stock
- 1 cup Silk Cashew milk “with a touch of almond”
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 tbsp pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a roasting pan* with about a half inch of filtered water in the base, roast your rinsed, whole butternut squash for 45-60 minutes. When ready, the skin will be golden and the flesh will be tender and still a bit firm.Remove squash from oven, and allow to cool to a comfortable temp for handling with your hands. Use a sharp knife to remove the stem and base ends, then slice the squash once length-wise. Scoop out the seeds ( you can save these and roast later for a tasty snack!). Peel the squash. Cut into 2 inch chunks.In a medium stock pot*, add 1 cup veggie stock to the butternut, and blend into a smooth puree using a hand mixer or submersible blender ( I love my Kitchen Aid Submersible). In a small saute pan*, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and brown the minced fresh ginger for 1-2 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Add the ginger to the butternut puree in the stock pot and blend again, using the submersible mixer.Add the remaining 2 cups of veggie stock, 1 cup cashew milk, salt, pepper, and spices. Simmer over medium heat, about 20 minutes, to allow the spices to infuse healing yumminess into the soup. You may adjust the soup’s “heat” by adjusting cayenne and black pepper to taste.Just before serving, in your saute pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil and toast the pine nuts and pepitas along with a dash of sea salt.Ladle up your bowls, garnish the soup with the toasted nuts and seeds and enjoy! Make extra and share with a neighbor 🙂 *Use stainless steel or cast iron pans for cooking. Avoid using aluminum or non-stick cookware as these can leach harmful elements into the food.
Written by: Ann Collins, MD, RYT
Photo Credit: Ann Collins, MD, RYT
Save your fingers! Safety tip for working with butternut and other dense squash
