A warm and hearty soup is one of the greatest pleasures of autumn and winter. Store bought soups don’t necessarily taste horrible, but most of them come in cans lined with BPA (a hormone disruptor that’s been linked to obesity and other health problems), or they are loaded with sodium. And even though they may not taste bad, they certainly don’t taste as good or seem as filling as homemade soups, probably because homemade soups are typically made with whole foods. This butternut squash, sweet potato, and carrot soup is a recipe I adapted from the Barefoot Contessa and is super easy to make. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also loaded with beta-carotene, fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin K, and vitamin B6, all very important for keeping your body’s systems functioning properly.
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
2 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 pound carrots
5 to 6 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable stock (make your own if possible)
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
cinnamon
Prep:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the skin and seeds from the butternut squash and the skin from the sweet potatoes and carrots. Cut the vegetables into cubes and put into a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and toss until all vegetables are lightly coated. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or mist it with olive oil, and spread the vegetables out in a single layer. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper over top and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until a knife will easily poke through the vegetables.
Using a food processor, blend half of the vegetables with 3 cups of the stock for about 45 seconds or until the vegetables are mostly pureed, but some small pieces are still visible. Pour that batch of soup into a pot and blend the remaining vegetables with two cups of broth. Once pureed to the desired consistently pour the second batch into the pot with the first batch. Heat on medium-low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until the soup reaches the desired temperature throughout. The consistency should be thick but still soupy so add more stock if necessary.
Upon serving, lightly sprinkle ground cinnamon on top for a little added flavor and even more health benefits.
This soup can be easily frozen. Now is the perfect time to stock up on butternut squash and sweet potatoes at your local farmer’s market and make some for now and some for later in the season. You can also add other root vegetables to this soup such as carrots, parsnips, and turnips if you want to add even more nutrients and flavor to the mix.
Photo: Sarah Fernandez
Resources:
“Power Foods: Butternut Squash.” Whole Living.
“Sweet Potatoes.” The World’s Healthiest Foods.
“What are the Health Benefits of Eating Carrots Every Day?” SFGate.
