Butternut Squash Soup

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 pounds butternut squash*, (cut into 1-inch cubes - about 8 cups)

3 tablespoons olive oil, (divided)

1 medium onion, (diced)

3 garlic cloves, (minced)

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 (14 ounce or 400 ml) can light coconut milk

3 cups vegetable broth, (or as needed (divided)

1 Granny Smith apple, (peeled and diced)

Salt & pepper, (to taste)

Pepitas for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the butternut squash into a large bowl and drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir or toss the squash with your hands to evenly coat it with the oil.

Arrange the squash on the baking sheets. Place them into the oven and bake the squash for about 30 minutes, until tender.

While the squash bakes, begin the soup. Coat the bottom of a large pot with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent.

Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Cook everything for about a minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

Stir in the coconut milk and the apple. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.

Lower the heat and allow everything to cook at a low simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the squash has finished baking, stir it into the soup, along with 1 cup of broth. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil.

Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pot from the heat. Blend the soup either using an immersion blender, or by transferring it in batches to a food processor or blender. Always be super careful when blending hot liquids.

Return the soup to the pot (if you removed it) and thin it with additional broth. Use as much broth as needed to reach your desired consistency — I use 2 cups. Heat it back up if needed.

Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.

Ladle into bowls and serve.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1.5 cups (1/6 of total r
• Calories: 215 kcal
• Total Fat: 8.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Sodium: 399 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 35.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.9 g
• Total Sugars: 10.4 g
• Protein: 3.5 g