Recipe: Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pomegranate Garnish

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Over the Christmas holiday, we had the privilege of spending some time with Stephanie and her beautiful family. I met Stephanie online several years ago when I happened upon her website. We connected over our views on parenting and love for travel. She continually inspires me, particularly when it comes to food. The day we walked into her home, the delightful smell of roasted squash welcomed us. Jason and I have been wanting to attempt a homemade butternut squash soup since that wintery night when we dined and were blessed by Stephanie and her family’s hospitality.

This recipe isn’t overly difficult, but does require some planning since it will take about an hour to roast the squash. Since butternut squash is a winter squash, we thought it would be the perfect time to use them in a dish. This recipe incorporates Pomegranate seeds which I recently discovered and absolutely fell in love with!

Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pomegranate Garnish

Total Time

1 hr 30 mins

Servings: 12 Servings

Ingredients

2 Medium Butternut Squash Cut in half and seeds removed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Apples diced
2 Medium Red Potatoes diced
1 Medium Yellow Onion diced
2 Cloves Garlic chopped
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
2 Cups Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Package Pomegranate Arils

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle.
Place the squash halves cut-side up on a baking sheet. Brush olive oil over the tops and insides of the squash. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
While the squash is cooking, peel, core, and cut the apples and potatoes into medium dice. Cut onion into medium dice. In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, add the olive and saute the apple, onion, and garlic, season with salt, stirring occasionally, until mostly softened, about 5 minutes.
When tender, remove squash from oven, set aside and allow to cool.
Add the broth, water, potatoes and cinnamon stick, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally and potatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and take out the cinnamon stick. Scoop the squash out of skins into the rest of the ingredients. Discard the skins.
Using an immersion blender or regular blender (processing in batches), puree the mixture until smooth.
Serve with maple syrup drizzled on top and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

One of the things I absolutely love about this recipe is that you really wouldn’t know it was vegan unless told. It has a thick, creamy consistency and a rich flavor with just a hint of sweetness. Omitting traditional ingredients like heavy cream helps shave fat and calories, allowing you to enjoy the soup as an appetizer, if desired.

Recipe, Images: Jason Bailey, Rockin’ Mama.

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.