I had forgotten how easy it is to use up the vegetables in your fridge by making a soup! Not only does it save them from getting spoiled, it’s nourishing, warming, delicious, simple and fantastic for my kids lunch!
This is the soup I I threw together the other night with what I had on hand.
INGREDIENTS
- One large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), halved vertically and seeded
- 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 5-6 small shallots approximately ½-3/4 of a cup
- sea salt to taste
- 3-5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced (if you like garlic add more, no so much, add less)
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon of ground sage
- ½ teaspoon of cinnimon
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3-5 cups bone broth depending on how thick you like your soup (I make this every time I roast a chicken and then freeze it) You can also use a store bought vegetable or chicken broth
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Cut the squash in two and place on the banking sheet face up. You can lightly coat the inside of the squash with a little olive oil, but often I don’t. Cook for approximately 60mins depending on how large the squash is. You want it to be soft enough to easily scoop out. When it’s ready, take it out and let it stand for 10-20min. Then scoop out all the flesh into a bowl.
**I often do this in stages. I will roast the squash the night before and then put the squash in the fridge until the next day. I do this because I often don’t remember to start cooking in time to do the whole thing together. My kids turn into little monsters if they haven’t eaten by 6pm.
Step 2: Add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil to a pan and melt, then add your chopped shallots and salt. Cook until soft and slightly brown around the edges approx 3-5min. Then add in your garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Step 3: Then I add the shallots and garlic mixture, along with my squash and half of my bone broth to my Vitamix. Turn it on slowly and then let it buzz around on high for a minute or two until smooth. I add this to a large pot and then repeat until all of the squash has been used.
Step 4: Now that you have all your beautifully smooth soup in the pot, you can start spicing it up. Add maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, sage, pepper and salt to taste. I “free hand” most of my spices until I’m happy with the way it tastes. But I’ve given you some approximate measurements to start with.
Once you’ve simmered it for 5-10min and it’s to your liking, you can add a tablespoon of good olive oil for flavour.
That’s it! Serve and enjoy!
Once cooled, I store it in glass mason jars for the girls lunches.
