Roasted Butternut Squash - A Cozy Favourite

Nothing speaks Christmas or festive season than including a menu item featuring some form of winter squash during your Christmas eve /day dinner or holiday dinner.  Butternut squash soup is a warm, comforting soup that even kids will love because of its sweetness.  Other winter squashes are pumpkin, acorn, or buttercup. 

Butternut squash contains:

• B vitamins that help with our energy metabolism pathways as well as many other pathways in the body including making neurotransmitters like serotonin that regulate our mood and anxiety. 

• It is also rich in vitamin C to support our immune system and adrenals. 

• It is also very rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoids.  Carotenoids are phytonutrients that have a lot of antioxidant abilities with beta carotene in particular, being converted in our livers to vitamin A.  Vitamin A is great for improving night vision, skin health, and supporting our immune system.

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roasted butternut squash soup

Serves 3 Bowls

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 tbsp ginger

• ½ roasted butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes (See below for how to roast a butternut squash)

• 3 cups water

• 1 GoBio! Organic vegetable stock cube (can replace the stock with: 1 tsp thyme, ½ tsp basil, ½ tsp rosemary, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp turmeric powder)

NOTE: I prefer the addition of spices over the stock as it gives a sweetness with a slight bitter note and a musty orange colour rather than a bright orange colour. 

METHOD:

1. Cut the peeled and roasted butternut squash half into cubes approximately 1”.

2. Heat coconut oil in a pot at medium heat and add the ginger. Let sizzle for 15 seconds.

3. Add squash, stir and let it cook for about 3 minutes, covered.

4. Add water and stock cube (or spices), stir, and let soup cook at medium heat for 30 minutes, covered.

5. Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender to blend soup.

6. Place back on heat and season as you desire.

Soup made with the GoBio! soup stock

Pre-blended soup with spices (no stock)

Soup made with spices (no stock cubes)

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How to Roast A Butternut Squash

If you are curious how to roast a butternut squash, see my quick prep method below:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Cut the end of the squash with the stem.

3. Cut squash lengthwise into halves.

4. Spread a little bit of olive oil onto the flesh of each half.

5. Place cut (flesh) side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until squash is tender.

6. Once it has cooled, you can use a peeler to peel the skin off.

Pre-roasted squash

Roasted Squash