We are ALL loving a hot bowl of Pureed Butternut Squash Soup during the fall and winter months in Connecticut! As a Mom, I’m happy because its loaded with some of my favorite detoxifying flavors like ginger and turmeric. Both of these natural ingredients are packed with detoxifying properties and anti-inflammatory compounds. This soup is perfect for weeknight eats or for a little detox snack in-between meals.
My rule of thumb is ‘fresh is best’ especially for seasonings and spices. If you are unable to find fresh garlic, ginger, turmeric, thyme, or onions you can substitute with powders here if needed. I was actually unable to find fresh turmeric at my store this week and with a busy family I did not have time to run around town in search of it….. so turmeric powder was used here, but remember if you can, fresh is always best!
As a thickening agent in this soup I added in whole grains to give it a few more nutrients. I typically use brown rice in these kinds of soups because the kids like it best this way, but you can substitute any whole grain like quinoa, barley, farro, wild rice, or couscous. Please don’t overthink with this soup – keep it simple and use what you have on hand in your pantry. In the end, the star of this dish is the creamy and smooth butternut squash!!
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Butternut Squash peeled + diced
- 1 Yellow Onion chopped
- 1 Carrot chopped
- 1 tbsp Oil olive or avocado
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 3 tbsp Fresh Ginger minced
- 7 cups Broth chicken or bone
- 1/3 cup Brown Rice uncooked
- 3 tbsp Turmeric Powder
- 4 springs Fresh Thyme
- 1 pinch Salt & Pepper season to taste
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt or Coconut Cream swirl/garnish – OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Prep your squash. Slice off both ends of your butternut squash. Holding the squash in one hand, use a sharp vegetable peeler in the other hand to peel off the outer layer of the butternut squash. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Finally you will want to cut squash into about 1 inch cubes.
- Chop yellow onion and carrot. Peel and mince fresh ginger. Crush garlic cloves lightly with the flat of a knife and remove skin.
- In a Dutch oven or large pot saute veggies until tender. Add in broth of your choice, the dry rice and all the seasonings!! Cover and simmer for 1 hour until everything is tender.
- In batches slowly pour the mixture from your pan to a household countertop blender to puree in batches until creamy! If you have a handheld immersion blender you can keep the soup on the stove and do the work there.
- Serve warm bowls of soup by adding in a swirl of Yogurt/Coconut Cream (OPTIONAL) and sprinkle of turmeric on top! Thyme for garnish if you want to be fancy!
