Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

Why you will love this recipe:

• This roasted red pepper and butternut squash soup has the most amazing flavour! It's rich and creamy and perfectly seasoned.
• It's so easy to make and is made with pantry staple ingredients like broth, coconut milk, onions, and spices.
• It stores really well and freezes well so it's perfect for meal prep.
• This healthy soup recipe is dairy free, low in calories, vegan, gluten free, paleo and Whole30 compliant.
• It's easy enough to make on busy weeknights but is also delicious enough to serve at holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ingredients and substitutions:

• Red peppers - these get roasted with onions to give them a delicious, savoury flavour. Instead of red peppers you could also use orange or yellow peppers.
• Butternut squash - this gives this soup a naturally sweet flavour and beautiful orange colour. It is also full of fiber as well as many vitamins and minerals. For this soup you can use either fresh or frozen squash, but if using frozen squash let it thaw first. I also recommend using peeled squash for this soup recipe.
• Onion - when roasted with the sweet bell peppers these help give this soup such a great flavour. You can use white onion, yellow onion or sweet onion for making this soup.
• Butter or coconut oil - either of these fats can be used to help roast the peppers and onions and give them the most amazing taste and texture. If you are dairy free or vegan be sure to use coconut oil.
• Coconut milk - this helps give this easy soup such a rich and creamy texture while keeping it dairy free. I recommend using full fat coconut milk rather than low fat coconut milk to give it more of a thick and creamy texture. If you can't have coconut milk I would use cashew milk instead.
• Broth - you can use either vegetable broth or chicken broth to make this fall soup. If you are vegan be sure to use vegetable broth.
• Seasonings and spices - all you need is basil, salt and pepper to season this soup perfectly.

Recipe variations:

• To make this soup vegan: use coconut oil or a vegan butter and vegetable broth.
• To make this soup dairy free: use coconut oil to roast the red peppers.
• You can add other vegetables such as tomatoes, celery, or carrots to give this soup even more flavour.

How to make butternut squash and red pepper soup:

Step 1

Place a large frying pan on medium heat on the stovetop and add the butter, onion and chopped red peppers to the pan and cook until the peppers start to tenderize (the edges turn golden).

Step 2

While the peppers are cooking, place a large pot on the stove on medium heat and add the squash, broth, coconut milk, and spices to the pot and bring everything to a boil.

Step 3

Once the red peppers are done cooking, transfer all the ingredients from the pan (including the fat and onions) to the pot with the squash.

Step 4

Once the soup starts to boil, turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Step 5

Then remove the pot from heat, and use your immersion blender or blender to blend the soup until it's smooth. Let it cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Top tips:

• Feel free to make a double or triple batch of this soup and freeze some for later.
• If you don't have an immersion blender you can blend this soup in a regular blender instead.
• You can use fresh or frozen butternut squash for this recipe - if using frozen, just let it thaw first.

How to serve:

This soup is delicious served as is, but some other serving ideas include:

• Serve it with your favourite biscuits - I love pairing this soup with my almond flour biscuits or gluten free corn bread.
• Top this soup with croutons or your favourite crushed crackers.
• Serve it with a sandwich or side salad.
• Add some protein such as cooked chicken, beef, turkey, or tofu to turn it into a complete meal.