Immune Boosting Butternut Squash Soup

My favorite time of year is the fall. I love the changing of leaves here in New York and the crisp air. 

I have always felt more invigorated and energized in the fall air.

Perhaps it’s because I am an October baby. 

Either way my kitchen is always in full swing come September–whether it’s me food prepping or cooking some healthy dishes for the week –or whether it’s Billy replicating an incredible gourmet recipe he found online [he’s an incredible cook ..it’s like living with a personal chef!].

Every Saturday I go to our local farmer’s market and am so lucky to have an incredible organic farm, Sang Lee Farms, who provides delicious organic nutrient dense foods.

I try to revolve my recipes around what I can buy from them.

When creating recipes I do a lot of research about the ingredients and what will serve our bodies the most.

When I first thought of creating my butternut squash soup recipe everyone in my home was fighting a mild cold. We were staying hydrated, resting as much as possible, going to bed earlier than usual and loading up on vegetables to help support our immune system. I also took it a step further and had an epsom salt bath with baking soda every night to support detoxification.  

As I developed this recipe I wanted to add in an immune boosting kick to the soup to continue to support us as we healed. 

As luck would have it, the farm was selling their own fresh organic ginger and turmeric! (Homerun!)

So I added these two ingredients to my basket and rounded out the day with fresh garlic.

I do want to mention that in our home we are dairy free.

I have never felt good on dairy and here is the kicker. I never knew I didn’t feel good until I stopped eating dairy. Then I got a glimpse of what feeling good felt like. 

I had so much dairy in my daily diet for years, yogurts, dressing, cheese, etc. 

I suffered from adult acne, daily gastrointestinal upset, lethargy and a host of other issues. I just thought this was normal. 

I took dairy out of my diet about 7 years ago as a test and so many of my issues cleared up immediately.

I then took it a step further, did lab testing and found out I had a significant allergy to casein – the main protein in dairy products.

Turns out Billy has the same allergy, as does our son.

I wanted to add a creamy texture to this recipe,  but I had to do it without dairy.- Cue the coconut cream.

This has been a life saver for me in so many recipes where I sub this in. 

This immune boosting butternut squash soup is not only good for you but it tastes incredible!

Enjoy!

I’d love to know how you like it.

IMMUNE BOOSTING BUTTERNUT SQUASH INGREDIENTS

BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Butternut Squash is a winter squash that is grown in the summer and harvested in the fall.  Butternut squash has a sweet and nutty flavor that is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.  One cup of butternut squash provides more than 450% of the recommended daily allowance(RDA) of vitamin A, over 50% of the RDA for vitamin C, and provides 582 mg of potassium, more than the amount available in a banana. Both Vitamin A and C act as powerful antioxidants in your body. 

BONE BROTH 

I choose to use a bone broth in this recipe. If you are a vegetarian/vegan you can easily swap out the bone broth for vegetable broth. I make my own bone broth every weekend. If you don’t want to make your own you can easily find it online or in your local supermarket. Two brands that I like to buy are Kettle and Fire (my preference) and Pacific. Bone broths contain minerals that are easy for the body to absorb and are known to support the immune system.

GINGER

Ginger is naturally antibacterial and can help support the immune system.  The unique flavor that the fresh ginger adds to this soup is a slight kick to your tastebuds but in my opinion adds incredible flavor.

TURMERIC

Turmeric has significant anti-inflammatory properties and is a powerful antioxidant. The compounds in turmeric that support these anti-inflammatory properties are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin.  

GARLIC

In many countries, garlic has been used medicinally for centuries.  It is believed to have significant antibiotic properties. According to Richard Slaven in the Journal of Nutrition,  the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed garlic for a wide range of conditions and illnesses including in repository problems, poor digestion and fatigue. Garlic is known to have antiviral, anti-fungal and antibacterial properties.

COCONUT CREAM

Coconuts contain a lipid called lauric acid, and many researchers believe that lauric acid can support the immune system. Some findings indicate that lauric acid has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Coconut cream is also a healthy fat as it can increase your good cholesterol, your HDL.  Coconut cream adds a beautiful density to this soup recipe.

Immune Boosting Butternut Squash Soup

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: Dr. Samantha Hiotakis, Clinical & Nutritional Psychologist, Functional Medicine Health & Wellness Coach

Serves: 48 oz or 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of ghee or coconut oil
• 3 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 4 cups bone broth or vegetable broth
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh turmeric, roughly chopped
• 2 5.4 oz cans unsweetened coconut cream
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 pinches Himalayan Sea Salt
• 2 pinches fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Stovetop
   
2. Heat the ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Once the bottom of the pot is coated add in garlic and onion. Sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add in butternut squash, bone broth, ginger, and stir ingredients. Add in salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes (or until squash is tender) , checking and stirring every 5 minutes.
3. Pour ingredients from stovetop and turmeric into blender and blend until smooth. Return to stovetop and stir in coconut cream.
4. Instapot
   
5. Turn Instapot to sauté setting and add in ghee.. Once bottom is coated add in onion and garlic and stir until soft, about 3 minutes. Change setting to Soup and add in butternut squash, ginger, bone broth and salt and pepper. Cover and set for 5 minutes. Manually release the pressure and remove the lid.
6. Pour the ingredients and fresh turmeric into blender. Once blended add everything back to Instapot and add in coconut cream.

Notes

Kitchen Tools I recommend:
For the Pressure Cooker I have an Instapot (8 Quart). We get so much use out of it. For the Blender I have the Vitamix and LOVE it. For the pot, when cooking on the stove, I use Le Creuset Signature Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven 9 quart.

Pro Tip for Cutting the butternut squash. Cut the bottom of the butternut squash just above the bulb. Then lay flat and use a knife to peel the outer layer off. Then chop. Clean out the seeds from the bulbs and add some cinnamon, nutmeg and ghee and roast those off for another side idea.

Pressure Cooker Note: It takes the pressure cooker about 15-20 minutes to get to the right pressure at which point your time of 5 minutes will start cooking. I use this time to prep other food items for the week

I am recommending certain products here because I use them and love them. I am not an affiliate of any of the brands or products I recommend.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 6 80z bowls

3.5.3251