Butternut squash recipes are popular around the autumn season, but we like to make meals with it any time of the year. As a great source of Vitamin A, potassium and fiber, it's packed with nutrition goodness and is a really versatile ingredient for lots of meals.
We made it into a big batch of this delicious, nutrient-dense, whole food soup along with carrots, apple, bone broth, coconut milk and spices that is super-easy to make in your slow cooker and keeps for several days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it to heat up later on your busier days.
Creamy, gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian-friendly with just a few tweaks, it's a really nice way to turn what you have on hand into a good-for-you comfort dish.
This recipe is how we made it with the things we had on hand, but get creative in your own kitchen by adding more ingredients you like and adjusting the spices to taste. Yum!
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and quartered
3 large carrots, peeled and quartered
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped (yellow or red)
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped (any sweet variety)
2 1/2 cups chicken bone broth (substitute with vegetable broth for vegetarian/vegan)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1-2 pinches dried sage
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (substitute with whole milk or cream if you would like to use dairy)
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Raw pumpkin seeds/pepitas (optional)
Directions:
Place all ingredients except for the coconut milk in your slow cooker and stir.
Cover.
Set slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Once the soup is done, use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. This can also be done in batches using a regular blender.
Slowly add the coconut milk to the soup and blend or stir to combine well.
Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve warm.
We suggest topping each bowl with a swirl of olive oil, a drizzle of more coconut milk, fresh parsley and pepitas on top.
Enjoy!
Keep following us for more whole food recipe ideas and holistic nutrition tips like this one. Have a lovely day!