Plant-Based Immunity Boosting Butternut Squash Sou

The weather in Calgary right now is incredibly unpredictable. As soon as it begins to warm up, the snow starts to melt, the birds start chirping again, the next day it's cold and snowing. This soup here is perfect for those frigid, unpleasant days. It's packed with vegetables and a small bowl is unbelievably filling.

This was one of the first recipes I ever made with butternut squash, and I'm disappointed that I didn't discover it sooner. Butternut squash is affordable, contains tons of fiber to smooth your digestive tract and about as much potassium as a banana!

While butternut squash may be the main ingredient, we've still got tons of other great vegetables (and fruits) intermingling in this soup. Carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, and apples were all invited to the party. A bowl of this soup packs a serious punch of dietary fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins that are perfect for a cold winter (or spring) day. Bundle up with a good book, a cup of tea, and enjoy a nice hot bowl of this butternut squash soup that will surely make you feel warm on the inside, even if it isn't warm outside.

*serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 medium/large butternut squash

2 medium carrots

1 apple of choice

1 medium potato

1 medium yellow onion

6 garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage

Pinch of basil & oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 1/2 - 3 cups vegetable stock

1/3 cup coconut milk

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Peel butternut squash, carrots, apple, potato, onion, and chop all into 1 inch cubes.

Prepare baking sheet with silicon baking mat or parchment paper and add chopped vegetables to pan. Garlic can be peeled and added to pan as whole cloves. Drizzle olive oil on vegetables and sprinkle rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all up with your hands and spread so the vegetables are relatively even along the baking sheet.

Pop the vegetables into the oven and let bake for 1 hour minimum, up to 1 hour & 15 minutes (until cooked through).

Once the veggies are cooked add them to a pot along with the stock and use an immersion blender until the desired texture is achieved. If you don't have an immersion blender, a food processor will work just fine.

Once your soup is nice and smooth and all stock has been added (more or less depending on the consistency you would like), heat your stove top to medium/low and whisk frequently. Add the coconut milk and some more salt and pepper to your liking.

I love to serve this soup with a few toasted pumpkin seeds on top for a bit of crunch. Enjoy!