Easy Butternut Squash Soup

 Easy Butternut Squash Soup

With the weather getting colder, it is always great to have a recipe on hand that is easy to prepare but also delicious and warming for the body and soul!  I love this dish because I'm finally getting to use butternut squash!  This gourd is so cool to look at and feel.  It is a beautiful shade of orange and has a very firm feel to it.  It makes a wonderful decoration for a tabletop too!  But aside from how butternut squash looks and feels, I couldn't help but want to explore its health benefits.  Butternut squash contains a good amount of fiber, which helps fill you up, and prevents colorectal cancer.  In addition, the beta carotine in this squash improves eye health.  Butternut squash is regarded as a superfood in that it has the ability to boost the immune system, aid digestion, support eye health, and enhance cognitive function.  It is filled with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants!  

Aside from all those benefits, this soup is easy to make and cleanup is a breeze!  In place of using a regular blender, I just use a hand blender which works perfectly and there is much less cleanup with it.  You definitely need a pot and a baking dish to roast the vegetables.  But that is just how easy it is to make this...place the vegetables in a dish, bake it, then mix everything together in a big pot!  There you have this amazing and delicious soup!  

Aside from regular crackers, you can eat this soup with a salad or grilled cheese sandwich for a complete meal!  You can also eat this by itself and it would still be amazing.  So here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (medium)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1-2 red onions

1 head garlic, top cut off

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

Olive oil to drizzle

3 carrots

Seasoning:

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp chili flakes 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 390 degrees.
2. Prepare vegetables and place them on a baking dish.  Cut butternut squash in half and remove seeds.  
3. Mix seasonings together.  Drizzle oil over vegetables and sprinkles seasoning over all vegetables.
4. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
5. Bake the vegetables in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  The butternut squash should be soft.
6. When the vegetables cool, remove the skin from butternut squash and scoop flesh into a big pot.  Add the rest of the vegetables.  Squeeze the garlic out of the head of garlic.  It should be soft and come out easy.
7. Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth warm up the mixture on low heat.  Then using a hand blender, blend everything together!  

This is definitely my favorite way to make butternut squash soup!  I know you will enjoy this as much as I do!  Enjoy!