I promise you, this will be your new favorite squash soup. Even if you say you don’t like butternut squash, you’ll surely love this soup. Trust me. I was one of those people who shrugged at butternut squash soup until I tasted my friend Emilie’s.
Like most foods, this soup has a bit of a story to accompany it, a detective story which will appeal to anyone with adverse reactions to or sensitivities to certain foods. Which, like it or not, includes many of us.
It took Emilie intense determination and some wrong turns to begin solving her health mystery. She found out she had a leaky gut as a result of taking too many antibiotics in her 20’s and then too much Aleve after that. With some unpleasant skin issues on top of feeling like a deflated balloon, Emilie set out to eat foods which she believed were “healthier” for her. In reality though, she was actually causing her body more harm by overloading her system with plant toxins that her immune system couldn’t handle. In her own words as to what happened to her: “Boom. Implosion.”
From this oversupply of plant toxins, she discovered salicylates which led her to oxalates and then to histamines — three crucial clues to solving her health mystery. For those of us who want to learn more, Em provides a few useful links to websites including one for oxalates and histamines. There are loads of other good websites to guide you through healthy eating for various ailments. Check out Positive Health Wellness for many articles on everything from your thyroid health to your teen’s diet.
As Em began solving her health mystery, she would eliminate and then added back various foods in her diet. As she did so, she slowly understood what her body would need to be healthy and it was completely different than what she believed to be in the beginning. As she cautiously experimented with foods and ingredients, she adjusted and created new recipes. This squash soup was a real winner and I am thrilled to share it with you!
Here’s her recipe.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 3 quarts | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 90 minutes | 15 minutes |
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Inspired by a Cooks Illustrated Recipe and her limited diet my friend Emilie developed this silky smooth and phenomenally tasting butternut squash soup. There are a few steps to take, but with a sharp knife and a bit of time, you'll be so happy to have a new standby to your repertoire.
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- 5 tbs butter
- 3 whole shallots chopped
- 5 lbs butternut squash
- 10 cups water
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbs maple syrup
- 3 pinches nutmeg
- 3 tsp ginger freshly grated
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds salted and roasted
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle a bit of olive oil on the foil.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut the squash in half. Remove the seeds and stringy flesh from the indentation. Set aside.
- Place the squash face down on the baking sheet and roast for about an hour until tender. Remove from the oven and let cool for about fifteen minutes.
- While squash is roasting, you will make a stock using the reserved seeds and pulp. To do so, you will need a large pot or dutch oven. Melt the butter over medium heat and saute the shallots for about five minutes. Add the reserved seeds and stringy pulp and cook for a few minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let the soup simmer until the squash is finished cooking.
- Once the soup has simmered for an hour or so, strain the liquid through a mesh sieve and reserve the stock.
- Scoop the flesh out of the butternut squash into a soup pot. Add the freshly grated ginger, nutmeg, salt and maple syrup and using a hand blender, puree the squash, adding the reserved liquid until you reach the consistency you desire. (Some people like a thicker soup, others may like a thinner soup.)
- Mix in desired amount of heavy cream (or leave it out completely!).
- Serve hot with roasted pumpkin seeds.
Marc says
I was in my 40s before I found out about butternut squash. 😐
Looks awesome!
Marc recently posted…Bob Kramer – Washington
Allan James says
Your recipes always catch my eye. This looks fantastic. Thanks a lot for sharing such an excellent post. Have a nice day!