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Spiced Winter Butternut Soup

A quickie soup that hits the spot on a rainy day. I just made this for lunch during Red Barn Studios' second Herbal Body Care workshop. Served with a hearty kale salad, it was the perfect creamy complement. I prefer to roast the squash ahead of time in the oven (peeling and chopping raw butternut squash is a bit labor intensive), but you can also chop the squash and add to the pot at the same time as the potatoes. If you'd like you can roast the squash a day ahead, or the morning of making the soup. You can also experiment by adding a larger amount of spices. Garnish soup with toasted pumpkin seeds and organic whole sour cream or Greek yogurt.

2 small-medium butternut squash (or combination of squash varieties)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tbsp ground or whole coriander

2 Tbsp ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

  2 Tbsp chili flakes

2 yellow onions, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices

water to cover vegetables

salt to taste

  

To roast squash: Preheat oven to 400F. Slice squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place face-up in a baking dish. Add about 1 inch water to dish, cover with foil, and place in oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough, scoop squash flesh from skin into a bowl. 

 In large soup pot, heat coconut oil and all spices on medium-high for 2 minutes. Then add onions and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, potatoes and water (about 4-6 cups) just until the level reaches top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add all squash to pot, and a little more water if necessary. Continue to simmer until potatoes become tender. Remove pot from heat. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Transfer back to soup pot and add salt to taste. Serves 8-10.