I’m back with new recipes! I took a few weeks off to recharge and it was absolutely necessary. Between the Ebook release in the fall and delivering tasty holiday content, I was pretty burnt out by the end of the year. Not to mention our days in the winter are really short and I felt like I had a hard time capturing quality photos. Now I have a little more light in the afternoon, and I feel refreshed and ready to bring you new content, like this creamy butternut squash and cauliflower soup.
As I’ve mentioned here before, we try to eat meatless 2-3 days a week. I’ve decided to increase that to ideally 5 days a week, but some weeks it may be four days depending on how leftovers work out. I feel better when I’m eating meatless protein sources and I think it’s a more healthy lifestyle. I’m no doctor, but I can certainly listen to my body and how I feel, and the reality is that I feel like I have more energy when I cut down on my meat intake. I fully recognize that this is a priviledge, that some people live in food deserts where quality produce isn’t available. We are all doing the best we can trying to eat reasonably healthy and provide meals for our family, and this may not work for everyone. But in an effort to keep myself and my family feeling healthy, we are going to be eating more plant-based protein sources and I’ll be providing new ways to enjoy those veggies!
This butternut squash and cauliflower soup is simple. Roasted vegetables blended together with the right amount of seasoning for a creamy soup that contains no cream! I’m also obsessed with a little crunch in my creamy soups. Some homemade sourdough croutons are the perfect topping here, along with some fresh chives. The cauliflower in this soup keeps it from being two overly sweet, and since the butternut squash and cauliflower are both roasted before blending, the flavor is perfect. Cozy, creamy, vegan, and healthy, I hope you add this soup to your meal plan!
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 2 tbsp. olive oil + more for drizzling
- 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. ground dried thyme
- 1 tsp. salt + more to taste
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Croutons and fresh chives for topping, optional
- 3 slices sourdough bread, cubed
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tbsp. garlic salt
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Halve the butternut squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour until tender.
- With 30 minutes of cooking time left for the squash, prepare the cauliflower. Break into florets and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss with your hands to coat evenly. Place in the oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes until tender.
- While the vegetables are cooking, heat olive oil in a large pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook until tender.
- Place the shallot mixture, butternut squash, cauliflower, and half the vegetable broth in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can add the cauliflower, squash, and broth to the pot with the shallots and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
- Return the mixture to the pot. Add the remaining vegetable broth if needed to reach desired consistency. Add paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
- To make your own croutons, cube a few slices of sourdough bread and toss in olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake in the oven until crispy and golden brown.
- Serve soup with croutons and fresh chives, if desired
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This soup was very very good!! yummy!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing! So perfect for this time of year.