There’s a crispness in the air, and this hearty soup recipe is perfect for chilly days. It’s an easy one to batch cook and freeze, and would work well in a school or work lunch packed in a thermos, or warmed with a HotLogic. I’ve made a few variations on this soup over the years, so I’ll share my current favourite with you, with a few optional ingredients.
Ingredients (4-6 servings)
- 1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (save seeds if you want to roast them and use them to garnish)
- 1 bulb Fennel, washed and chopped
- 1 medium white sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
2-3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped - 2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Filtered waterOptional:
- Substitute celery stalk for fennel bulb, or celery root for white sweet potato
- Parsnip
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Sage, rosemary, and thyme instead of ginger (add after pureeing)
Fresh chopped parsley - Bacon, fried and broken into bite sized pieces
- Rosemary seasoned chicken – pan fried, or leftover roasted
- Bone broth (preferably chicken stock)
Method
1. Wash, peel, and chop your vegetables. Warm your soup pot over medium heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil. If using onions and garlic, saute them first.
2. Add all of your chopped vegetables to the pot. Add broth if you’re using it, and add enough filtered water to cover the vegetables while they simmer.
3. Add seasonings (ginger, salt), and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until all of the vegetables are soft (roughly 20-30 mins). *note that if you are using the green herb options, it’s better to add them after you’ve pureed the vegetables.
4. If you plan to garnish your soup with bacon, chicken, or roasted seeds, prepare these while the soup simmers. To roast the seeds, rinse and drain them, toss them with oil and salt, and bake at 375℉ until they’re toasty (roughly 10-15 mins).
5. Once all of the soup vegetables are soft, use an immersion/stick blender to puree them and create a rich, creamy soup (without any gluten or dairy). If it seems too runny, you can cook it a while longer to boil off some of the excess water. If you’ve used bay leaves in the seasonings, remember to remove them before blending
6. Serve garnished with bacon, chicken, pepper, fresh parsley, black pepper, and/or roasted seeds. Enjoy!
Total prep time should be 45-60 minutes (faster if you have help chopping).