How to Make Vegetarian Butternut Squash Soup

With a recipe title like Butternut Squash Soup, you'd think it's vegan or at least vegetarian, right? Wrong! Most butternut squash soup recipes use chicken broth as a base and/or heavy cream to create the rich, thick consistency of butternut squash soup. This butternut squash recipe is vegan and vegetarian and tastes great. Best of all, you can do partial preparation on it while you're cooking something else in the oven and then finish it up on the stove top later, or cook the entire thing on the stove. Gather your ingredients, dust off the blender, and let's get cooking on this delightful vegetarian and vegan recipe.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 large butternut squash
• 3 medium-sized carrots
• 16 ounces of vegetable broth (find it in the soup aisle at the grocery store)
• Raw, shelled pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds as garnish (optional)
• Powdered ginger
• Pot half filled with water
• Vegetable peeler
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Blender
• Pyrex dish and oven (optional method to cook squash)

1. Cook the squash. There are two ways to do this. Choose whichever way saves you the most time and trouble. You can cook squash in the oven. Slice off the end with the stem, then slice it in half the long way. Scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down in a Pyrex baking dish with about half a cup of water. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes until it is very tender. I use this method when I'm cooking something else in the oven; I just pop the sqush in with a roast and do two tasks at once. Alternatively, you can peel, cube and boil the squash in the pot on the stove top.

2. Slice off both ends of the carrots. Peel the carrots. Wash them. Dice into slices and place into a pot of boiling water. Boil for about 20-30 minutes until they are mushy.

3. When squash and carrots are so tender that a fork breaks them up, drain off the water. Allow vegetables to cool completely. This is very important! If they are too hot and you put them into the plastic blender pitcher, you can crack your blender pitcher.

4. When vegetables are cool, place the squash, carrots, and vegetable broth into the blender. Add 1/8 teaspoon of powdered ginger. Blend on high on "Smoothie" or "Puree" setting. When the mixture is completely blended, you can either pour it into freezer containers to store, or pour it back into the pot to heat and serve.

5. Heat the vegetarian butternut squash soup recipe on the stove gently. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds in the center. Serve with toasted slices of Italian bread.

Tips & Warnings

• Carrots add sweetness to this vitamin A rich dish.
• Taste the mixture with the ginger and add more or less to suit your style.
• Freeze for up to six months. Be sure to label your freezer container with the recipe name and date. Thaw at room temperature, heat and serve.

[mvalora]

on 9/28/2009 This vegetarian butternut squash soup sounds delicious!