High in nutrition and low in calories, this soup is sunshine in a bowl.  It will hit the spot on chilly, fall days. The taste of oranges with ginger and undertones of onion and garlic? Oh no, people, this is for real.  It is lick your bowl clean delicious!

We loosely based this version off of the vegan version from Color Me Vegan Cookbook by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Butternut Squash Soup
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1 large butternut squash, peeled, cleaned out and rough chopped

1 piece of ginger that is at least as big as your thumb, chopped

zest and juice of 1-2 oranges

2 small/medium yellow onions, rough chop

4 garlic cloves, rough chop

2 small/medium yellow potatoes, cubed

3-4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, more for thinning, later

salt and pepper to taste

roasted, spiced, pumpkin seeds, for topping, recipe below

Heat a TBS or so of olive oil in a really big pot. Saute the garlic, onions and ginger. After 1-2 minutes add the orange juice, potatoes and squash cubes and heat for 2-3 minutes before adding in the broth and orange zest. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until your pumpkin and potatoes are tender. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup as chunky or smooth as you like.  We’ve been known to purée ours in a Vitamix for a super smooth soup.  Thin with additional broth if necessary, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Roasted Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

1 c. green, hulled, pumpkin seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne, if you are brave of heart

1/4 tsp salt

olive oil

Twirl a small amount of oil in a 10″, or larger, skillet.  When hot, toss the seeds in to coat with the oil, sprinkle in the spices and stir.  Continue stirring until they start popping, take on color, and look drier.

You could make these in a lesser quantity, but I know you’ll want plenty for snacking!

If you want to use the seeds from the squash, you can, if you plan ahead.  Rinse and clean the pulp from them and let them air dry overnight.  Then use them as in the above recipe. The shells are very tender and definitely edible.  Good fiber, too.  Note the seeds in the soup picture?  Different seeds, different days…..

Enjoy!