Few vegetables are as comforting and nutritious as butternut squash. It has a slightly more mellow taste than pumpkin, but just as much beta carotene and fiber. And they’re a little easier to bake – bonus!
Since I’m always looking for ways to make my vegetable intake smooth and creamy, I came up with this amazingly good soup. The batch below is sizeable, but don’t worry, it freezes beautifully so you’ll have a nice supply of healthy fast food on hand.
Ingredients:
2 butternut squashes, cut lengthwise and de-seeded
1 can full-fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon siracha or chili powder
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
3 large onions (not purple) peeled and quartered
Light olive oil or grapeseed oil for pan-frying
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 330°F. Using two large, rectangular baking pans with shallow sides, drizzle enough oil in each pan go generously cover the pan’s surface. Place butternut squash, flat side down, in one baking pan. Place onions and garlic, distributing evenly, in the other pan. Place butternut squash pan on the lower rack and the onion mixture on the oven’s upper rack. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove onion tray and set aside. Check squash to feel if it’s fork-tender. If not, continue baking another 10 minutes or until soft. Let cool 10-15 minutes before handling.
When squash is cooled, scoop ‘meat’ away from skins into a large blender or Vitamix. Discard skins. Scrape onion mixture into Vitamix and add coconut milk. Pulse until smooth. Add spices and pulse until blended. Pour into a saucepan or oven crock and heat until bubbly. Serve immediately. Leftovers will freeze beautifully also.
Stacey Morris is a Loudonville-based cookbook author, food blogger, and DDPYOGA instructor. Stacey’s next cooking demo is at the Honest Weight Food Coop in Albany on Saturday, March 24, at 3 p.m. The demo is free but pre-registration is required. Contact Morris at her website is www.
