Who’s excited to kickstart their health this New Year? I know I am, that’s why I’m featuring a week of awesome gluten-free soup recipes to start off 2017 (plus January is National Soup Month too)!
Gluten-free soups – especially the butternut squash soup recipe I’m about to share – are good for you in so many ways.
For starters, they are super healthy because they are filled with warming broths, delicious vegetables and whole grains that flood your body with goodness without making your digestive system work in overtime to chew and digest your food.
Gluten-free soups are also so easy to make. You put the soup in a pot, allow it to simmer for an hour or so, and then you can eat the soup right then and there as a delicious meal.
Gluten-free soups are also so filling. They are often loaded with fiber-rich veggies and whole grains that fill you up without making you feel bloated and stuffed.
And finally, gluten-free soups make the perfect freezer meals. You can double your gluten-free soup recipes and then eat half now and save half for a night when you don’t feel like cooking. Perfect!
So today we’re going to make a beautiful, rich and filling gluten-free soup recipe for my Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Soup!
Butternut squash is a sweet vegetable loaded with vitamin A and vitamin C – making this bright orange vegetable a power player in your healthy, gluten-free diet. Butternut squash has the perfect amount of sweetness too – so if you crave sugar enjoy this soup vs. candy or cookies.
The only reason I don’t cook butternut squash as often as I like is that the squash is tough to peel and cut. I always feel like I’m going to cut off my fingers trying to cube it!
That’s why I love that in many grocery stores, including Costco, you can buy butternut squash already peeled and cubed. No fuss cooking – that’s the way I like it!
I also don’t love butternut squash soup recipes that include heavy cream. I’m not a fan of cooking with a lot of dairy and the heavy cream makes the soup less than healthy for you. When you make your own gluten-free butternut squash soup recipe, you can make it however you like it! Ah, the joys of cooking at home!
This recipe is really easy to make … but you do want to give yourself time to roast the butternut squash first. Roasting will bring out more flavor from the sweet vegetable and make your soup really shine!
I also invested in this handheld immersion blender from KitchenAid*. It makes blending soups so easy – I love it and know it was well worth the investment to have this fun tool in my kitchen.
So if you’re looking to flood your body with instant healthy goodness, try this gluten-free butternut squash soup recipe. My version is not only gluten-free, but also dairy-free and is easily made vegan as well – enjoy!
Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Soup
Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 package butternut squash, cubed (2 lbs)
- 1 medium or large onion, chopped into chunks
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil or other high heat oil
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pumpkin or sunflower seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Prepare baking sheet with aluminum foil and cooking spray
- In a large bowl, coat cubed butternut squash with 1 Tbsp. avocado oil and a dash of salt and pepper.
- Add cubed squash to single layer on baking sheet.
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes until squash softens and starts to slightly brown.
- While squash roasts, heat 1 Tbsp of the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large pot (preferably one that has 2-4 inch sides).
- Add onion and cook for 10 minutes until onion softens and starts to slightly caramelize. Add garlic and sauté for another 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add broth and bring to a boil.
- Add roasted butternut squash cubes to onion-broth mixture. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer mixture for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove pan from heat and allow soup to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Using a handheld immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth (alternatively, use a blender and work in batches – be careful, mixture is hot!)
- Add drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and continue to blend for another 30 seconds.
- Top with seeds (optional). Enjoy!
Nutrition
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