Description
Cozy up with a bowl of creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with crispy sage, coconut milk, and pumpkin seed brittle. Vegan and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 med-large butternut squash (3 pounds -or roughly 4 cups of cooked butternut)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil or butter
- 1 large apple- gala, honey crisp, diced (more for garnish, optional)
- 2 large shallots (or 1 onion)- diced
- 2–4 fat garlic cloves – rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger – rough chopped ( or use ginger paste)
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, and more for garnish
- 3 1/2 –4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock (I used 4 cups water with 2 teaspoons veggie bouillon paste)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- fresh grated nutmeg- optional ( about 1/4 teaspoon, more to taste, feel free to use ground)
- pinch cayenne -optional, but tasty here.
- 1/2– 3/4 cup coconut milk (from a can) or use 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half. For a lighter version, sub almond milk or just leave it out, thinning the soup with more veggie stock if you prefer.
- 1–2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional- see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional- see notes)
- Optional Garnishes- crispy sage, Pumpkin seed “Brittle”, sumac, warm coconut milk, sautéed diced apple (sauté in coconut oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Split the butternut in half lengthwise, place open side down, on a greased or parchment-lined, rimmed sheet pan. (See notes) Roast 30-35 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork, through the skin at the top, narrow end.
- While the butternut is roasting, chop the onion, apple, garlic, and ginger and herbs.
- Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, over medium heat.
- Add onion and apple and cook 6-7 minutes, stirring until golden and tender, then add garlic and ginger, and cook 4-5 more minutes, add the herbs,turning the heat down to med-low for one more minute. It will smell divine. Turn heat off.
- When the butternut is tender, flip them over, let them cool down, enough to handle, then scoop out seeds. Scoop out flesh and place in a bowl, you should have 3 3/4 to 4 cups.
- Add the apple onion mixture to the same bowl.
- Then, blend in batches with the veggie stock until very smooth, using a blender. (If using hot ingredients, be sure to Hold the lid down tight with a kitchen towel- to prevent a blender explosion!) If you prefer a thicker soup, add less water, thinner soup, more water.
- Add the blended soup back into the same pot and warm over low heat. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg. Stir in you choice of milk to desired richness.
- Taste. If you’d like more sweetness, a teaspoon or two of maple syrup will help. If you need a little acidity, a few drops of AC vinegar, or squeeze of orange juice is nice. Adjust salt.
- To serve, divide among bowls, sprinkle with maple-glazed pumpkin seeds, crispy sage leaves, sautéed apple.
Notes
Alternatively, you can slice apple and onion and roast with the butternut squash. (You’ll still need to saute the garlic, ginger and sage.)
Maple-glazed Pumpkin Seed brittle: Toss 1 cup pumpkin seeds in 1 ½-2 tablespoons maple syrup with a pinch of salt and pepper, and spread out on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake 11-14 minutes at 350F stirring ½ way through. Let them get a little toasted. (If they they don’t toast enough the maple syrup will not harden). Remove from oven, immediately, fluff with a fork, then let cool on the parchment.
To make Crispy Sage: Heat coconut oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place sage leaves carefully in the hot oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, fry unit crisp, about 1 minute. Remove with tongs, from the pan before they get dark, and lay flat on a paper towel.
To drizzle coconut milk over the top, I find it’s easier to heat it up a bit first then spoon it over top in a circular motion.
Sometimes, instead of the vinegar, I’ll add a squeeze of fresh orange juice- delicious!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 191
- Sugar: 9.6 g
- Sodium: 513.7 mg
- Fat: 9.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.4 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 2.4 mg