Lately my kids keep saying they are really up for eating soup. Perfect! It is certainly soup season. Lately I have been experimenting with the perfect ingredient combination for a Butternut Squash Soup with Kale, Orange & Ginger recipe and here it is! Now we have a LOT of butternut soup in our freezer!

Last weekend we celebrated the 49th birthday of a good friend. His wife brought a couple into their home who cooked a delicious meal for 16 of us. There were three options for the main, a vegan, a vegetarian and a meat option. I was happy to see that out of the 16 guests, 8 opted for either vegetarian or vegan!

The starter was a butternut squash soup and let me tell you, it was fabulous. It was rich and creamy and drizzled with cilantro oil and I’m sure it was loaded with tons of calories and fat, but man, did it taste great.

These past two weeks I have been working on my own butternut squash soup recipe that is vegan, added oil free, sugar free and gluten free. I am happy to say that I perfected it yesterday and am excited to share it with you today. This recipe is jam packed with whole food, phytonutrients and antioxidants from the multitude of vegetables and fruit in it. (Yes there is fruit in this soup!) I literally kept adding and experimenting with different vegetables, and spices until I got it just right. Or at least what I think tastes just right. 😉

Often, traditional soups contain dairy, such as cream, added oils and added sugars and canned soups often contain a ton of salt. (Like a full day’s worth of sodium). Each to their own, but the more I learn about food and health, the more I am choosing to not add oil, sugar and salt where I can easily avoid it. This recipe offers the option of none of all of the above. It still tastes rich and creamy and has tons of flavour.

I have included the alternative of adding a bit of oil for roasting and a can of coconut milk at the end of the recipe if you are so inclined. Either way, I am pretty sure you and your family are going to love this recipe. It is such a great way to sneak a ton of veggies into your family’s meal. I would like to mention that you need to like the taste of ginger to enjoy this recipe as is. If you aren’t a fan of ginger, just don’t add it, or add only half.

Yesterday, when I had finalized the recipe, I took three little bowls to my daughter and her two friends who were on their 4th hour of studying for their final University Biology exam. I got three resounding yums! I sent off a couple of packages of soup to be eaten today for lunch right before the big exam. I mean, whose brain doesn’t need a few extra vitamins and minerals going into a big test? So much better than the Ichiban noodles they sometimes cook up for lunch!

Oh, it brings back memories of my University years… Coke slurpees, Ichiban soup, itchy-scratchy, as we called it, and Kraft dinner… Maybe that is why I barely passed University Math in french… not enough phytonutrients!?

What do you need for this Vegan Butternut Squash Soup recipe?

It’s pretty simple.

You only need:

– two butternut squashes
– a couple of carrots
– kale
– onions
– garlic
– oranges
– ginger and other spices
– a can of coconut milk if you like

I just roasted my butternut squash in halves in the oven and made the soup on the stove. If you are in a rush, you could change that up by dicing up the squash to roast it (as it takes less time) and you could make the soup in a slow cooker or an InstaPot. So many options.

To make the soup:

First, wash and carefully slice the butternut squash down the center. Keep your fingers away from the knife blade! These suckers can be tough to slice through. I like to stand the squash up and start at the top, slowly pressing straight down. Remove the seeds and insides with a spoon and discard. Place in a large casserole dish or on a baking sheet covered with either parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet to avoid having to scrub the pan later. I rubbed a teaspoon of olive oil on each half and sprinkled on garlic powder and pepper to season. You can do the same with the two carrots if you like, then chop them up later to add to the soup.

Drizzle a tiny bit of water on the pan to keep the squash moist. Bake in the oven for about an hour at 400 degrees.

Dry saute the kale, onions and garlic in a large soup pot adding a small amount of water as needed.

Add the broth, carrots, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, orange rind, orange pieces and half of the ginger to the pot with the kale mix. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

Once the squash is done roasting, allow it to cool for a few minutes then scoop pieces of the flesh out of the skin and add it to the soup. Drop in the second tablespoon of ginger and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Once the soup is cooked, remove the cinnamon sticks and add the coconut milk (if you choose). Blend until smooth with an immersion blender. You can also allow it to cool and puree it in a regular blender.

This is delicious served with a salad and some whole grain bread for dipping! I would highly recommend my Kale Caesar Salad. It can be added oil free and it’s addicting so watch out!

Butternut Squash Soup with Kale, Orange and Ginger
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Serves: 10+ Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour - roasting, 1/2 hour on stove 1 hour - roasting, 1/2 hour on stove

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

4 cups butternut squash (2 medium squashes)

4 teaspoons olive oil (optional)

2 cups chopped kale, loosely packed

2 cups diced onions

2 carrots, chopped

8 cups vegetable broth (if you prefer a thicker soup, only use 7 cups)

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons ginger, minced

grated orange rind from 1 1/2 tiny Christmas oranges

2 tiny Christmas oranges, peeled and sectioned

2 sticks of cinnamon, or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 heaping teaspoon cardamom (3 freshly ground cardamom pods ground- pod shells removed)

1 can coconut milk (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and carefully slice butternut squashes down the center. Place squashes face up in a large pan or baking sheet. I recommend first covering the pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

If you choose to add some oil, pour a teaspoon on each piece and rub around the face of the squash. You could alternatively add a couple of tablespoons of water on and around the squash to help keep it moist. Sprinkle on your choice of spice for roasting. I used pepper and garlic powder.

Roast the squash for 50-60 minutes. You should be able to poke through the squash easily with a knife.

Once the butternut squash is cooked, allow it to cool until you can handle it without burning your hands.

Dry saute the kale, onion and garlic in a large soup pot for 5 minutes. Add teaspoons of water if needed.

Add the broth, chopped carrots, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, orange rind, orange pieces and half of the ginger. Cook for 15 minutes.

Next, scoop the squash out of the skin in small pieces and add them to the soup. Add in the second tablespoon of ginger. Cook for another 15 minutes.

At this point the soup should be done. You can now remove the two cinnamon sticks and discard. If you would like, add a can of coconut milk. With an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can wait for the soup to cool and blend it in batches in a blender.

Enjoy! This recipe would taste great with my Kale Caesar Salad and some whole wheat bread for dipping.

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