Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup is SO freakin' cozy!
It's all orangey, and warming, and roasty, and a lot of other vaguely descriptive, delicious words.
It's something that I've been making sans-recipe for years, but I had some recently that inspired me to rework my recipe to reach new levels of awesomeness.
My friend Leila was visiting before Christmas and we both ordered big bowls of it one night when we went out to dinner.
Lots of times when I order soup at a restaurant it's because I'm not that hungry, or it's cold outside, or some other boring reason - and this night we ordered it because the apps (oysters) and veggies on the side dish menu (roasted Brussels and cauliflower) were sounding reeeeal good and we wanted to go splitsville and just add a little somethin' somethin' in the mix to make it feel like a meal. Butternut squash soup sounded like the perfect thing.
Also, the bread at this restaurant is to die for - it's the softest focaccia ever that's literally drenched in really good EVOO and topped with caramelized onions - so we had to save room for that, obviously.
Our bowls came and we took our first bites and looked at each other like, DID YOU JUST TASTE THAT!? - it was the best butternut squash soup I ever had. Bursting with flavor, the perfect amount of creaminess, with a little pile of greens and roasted bits and pieces on the top to give it some texture.
I tried to figure out what was in it by splashing the soup all around my tongue with each bite. I probably looked like a maniac - but it was totally worth it.
Anyway, I went back to the drawing board (a.k.a. my kitchen) and I think I got the ingredients and ratios right on the first try (I sent the recipe to Lei for her to make and she agrees). BOO YEAH!
Bonus - it's dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian, so this will make all sorts of eaters happy campers. Vegans could sub out the ghee with avocado oil.
Give it a spin and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Ingredients:
1 whole butternut squash, peeled + cubed
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled + chopped
1/2 cup of full-fat, organic coconut milk (get the kind with the fewest amount of ingredients possible)
1 container of low sodium organic chicken broth (homemade bone broth is even better)
Ghee
Avocado oil
Cumin
Turmeric
Pink Himalayan sea salt
Black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425*
Coat a baking sheet with avocado oil and then add the butternut squash, season with salt + pep, and cook for about 15 min, until it just starts to caramelize.
While the squash is in the oven, melt some ghee in a large pot over medium heat and add the remaining veggies, then season with salt + pep. Stir occasionally - making sure not to let them burn.
Once the squash is cooked, add it to the soup pot with the rest of the veggies, and fill with enough broth to just barely cover the top of the veggies - let it come to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid to let simmer for about 5 min (veggies should be fork-tender when they're done).
Add additional seasonings (I used a little cumin and turmeric - cinnamon is also good), and coconut milk. Then add everything to a blender or use an immersion blender until it's a silky smooth consistency. Feel free to add more coconut milk if you want a creamier soup.
Top with awesome shit (like caramelized shallots and an arugula leaf) and party on, Wayne!