My favorite soup of the season! We make this in our home the moment the weather starts to cool in September, and to continually nourish us throughout winter. I even made it for my wedding! It is honestly quite simple, and there is no way to mess it up. You can swap out ingredients for what you have on hand, or for your favorites. Any way you adjust it, it will still come out delicious. It makes a big batch and saves really well. It is both sweet and savory, and full of herbal goodness!
In all honesty, I never actually measure anything in this recipe, specifically the spices. I encourage you to intuitively add them as you wish, and continue to taste the soup as you go! I personally go heavy on the sage and ginger- but this soup is about you!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Magical & Healing Properties of Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is an excellent source of nutrition for our physical bodies, as it is high in Vitamins A & C and a great source of potassium, which can help our blood pressure regulate. Butternut squash is also a great magical food for protection and warding off any negative energies, and to bring in luck and longevity.
The Steps!
ingredients:
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 small honeynut squash (optional)
- 2 apples
- 1 rutabaga (optional! or sub potatos)
- 3 large carrots
- mushrooms of choice ( I love shiitake, maitake, or lion's mane!)
- 1 onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 4 cups bone broth (or sub veggie to make vegan!)
1. Begin by roasting the squash. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Slice squash in halves and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle in olive oil or tallow, season with a pinch of salt, pepper, cinnamon and ginger. Bake flesh side down for 40- 45 minutes, or until soft when pierced with a fork.
2. While the squash is roasting, chop and peel your vegetables! Peel skin off the apples and rutabaga, and cut all veggies, fruit, and mushrooms into chunks roughly 1 inch. The size is not of grave importance though as everything eventually gets blended. Having generally the same size pieces will just help them cook evenly.
- 1-2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp all purpose seasoning
- 1-2 tbsp sage
- salt and pepper to taste (a lot!)
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
3. In a large pot on medium heat, sautee onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and let cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and add rutabaga and carrots and cover. When cooking vegetables, I always start with the toughest and work through to the softest. Once the rutabaga and carrots are slightly soft, about 5-10 minutes, add apples and mushroom. Cook another 5 ish minutes until those are soft and add the squash. Its best to wait until the squash is cool enough to handle, and then scoop the flesh out with a spoon, leaving the skins behind.
5. Season! Add salt, pepper, sage, all purpose seasoning, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
6. Once all the vegetables feel soft when pierced with a fork, add bone broth. The liquid should just cover the vegetables.
7. Bring liquid to a boil, then lower heat to low/medium and cover for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is when all the ingredients get "married" as I like to call :)
8. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup. I know I've mentioned immersion blenders a handful of times- but it is really one of my most used kitchen tools and if you don't have one, now is the time to get one! Consider this your sign :) I don't recommend using a blender unless you have a steam hole and are extremely extremely careful- this soup is hot!
9. Once blended, add coconut milk or cream, honey or maple syrup, and any additional spices/salt! Serve immediately and enjoy the warming nourishment!
This soup will last about 3-4 days in the fridge, but also freezes very well!