Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Hazelnuts & Squash Seeds

I absolutely love curling up on a chilly Fall night with a warm bowl of soup. The soothing cinnamon mixed with the slightly salty, crispy butternut squash seeds and hazelnuts make this dish pop with flavor.

Ingredients for the Soup:

• 1 butternut squash

• 1 small onion

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth or water

• 5 turns black pepper

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp cloves

• Garnish: cinnamon, nutmeg, sage leaves, chili pepper flakes, etc.

Ingredients for the Toasted Nuts & Seeds:

• Butternut squash seeds from the butternut squash or 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1/4 cup raw hazelnuts

• Coconut or avocado oil to coat

• Sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°. Chop the onion into chunks and remove skin from the garlic cloves. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds, cut off the skin, and chop into chunks (you can also buy pre-chopped butternut squash if you’d like to skip this step). If you are roasting the butternut squash seeds, set them aside in a bowl full of water (it’s extra work, but it’s so tasty!). Place the squash, onion, and garlic on a roasting tray, coating them lightly with coconut oil and roasting for 45 minutes.

2. If you plan on roasting the squash seeds, you can clean and prepare them while the vegetables are roasting. Remove skin from the butternut squash seeds, towel them dry, and set aside for roasting.

3. When the vegetables are finished roasting, turn oven heat down to 325° (or if you have a double oven, you can roast the vegetables and seeds at the same time). Place butternut squash seeds (or purchased pumpkin seeds) and hazelnuts on a baking sheet, toss with coconut or avocado oil and season with sea salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes. Nuts and seeds should lightly brown but not burn.

4. While seeds are roasting, place the roasted onion, garlic cloves, and butternut squash in a large stock pot. Add vegetable broth, black pepper, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth or ladle ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

6. To serve the soup, pour the soup in a bowl and top with toasted hazelnuts and seeds. Garnish with more cinnamon, nutmeg, sage leaves, or whatever else you’d like. If you’d like to make this soup a bit heartier, you can also blend in canned garbanzo beans or keep them whole and mix them into the blended soup. If you do this, I encourage you to increase the seasonings a little since the beans may dilute them.

Serves: 4-6

I’d love to hear from you. Please comment below or send me an email if this recipe sounds tasty and if you plan on making it. Also, what other recipes would you like me to make?

If you thought this recipe was delicious or know someone who would enjoy it, please like it and share it with them.

With love, Steph