Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

I made this soup last weekend in an attempt to warm up from the cold weather! Soup is one of my go to autumn/ winter favourites and I always make sure to cook up a big batch. A big bowl of soup on a cold, wet day is the ultimate comfort food, served with large chunks of fresh bread to soak it all up with. Making your own is incredibly easy and healthier than the ready made alternatives you find in the supermarket. I often make a load over the weekend when I have a little more time and then store in batches in the freezer ready for me to grab a quick and easy meal mid-week. It also packs up well for lunch the next day.

This vibrant orange soup will lift any mood and is packed full of spices and superfoods. Butternut squash is in season at the moment and this is one of my favourite autumn recipes. I add cumin, chilli and paprika for a little heat and blend with some fresh sage, parsley and rosemary. You can also top with a small handful of roasted pumpkin seeds to give it that little extra crunch. I think everyone should always have a batch of this healthy and nourishing soup waiting for them in their freezers!

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
• 450g carrots (peeled and diced)
• Small bunch of fresh rosemary and sage (roughly chopped)
• Small bunch of fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
• 1 red chilli (chopped)
• 2 tspn ground cumin
• 1 tspn ground turmeric
• 1 tspn ground smoked paprika
• 1 onion (peeled and finely chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
• 1.5 litres hot vegetable stock
• 1 tspn size of fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
• Olive oil
• Salt/ Pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a dash of olive oil in a large/ deep pan and add the onions. Cook gently on a low heat with the garlic for around 5 mins.
2. Add the butternut squash and carrots to the pan and increase to a medium heat. Leave for another 5 mins.
3. Add the ginger, cumin, paprika and chilli to the pan and mix well. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil and then gently simmer for around 20/ 25 mins until the vegetables are soft and tender.
4. Stir in the fresh rosemary, sage and parsley. Then, in batches, blend the soup in a blender. Pour each blended batch into a separate pan until all the soup has been blended. Take the pan of blended soup and season with salt n pepper, then serve with some fresh bread on the side.

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