This Butternut Squash Soup is So Comforting
Soup season is here, and this is a great recipe from nutritionist Dr Lucy Williamson
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 large squash (butternut, pumpkin or large crown)
- 200g chickpeas
- 500ml chicken or vegetable stock, topped up with 300ml water
- 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil and cold pressed rapeseed oil
- 1/2 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
- Pinch of chilli powder
- Sea salt and pepper
- Toasted seeds
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds in the centre. Reserve these for later. Put each half flesh side up on a roasting tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add salt and pepper to season. Place a garlic clove in the centre of each half.
Spread out the chickpeas on a tea towel or paper towel and pat them dry. Line another baking tray with baking paper, tip in the chickpeas then drizzle with half a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Roast both the squash and chickpeas for 30 minutes until the squash is soft and slightly crispy round the edges and the chickpeas are crispy.
Meanwhile, sauté the finely chopped onion in a little cold pressed rapeseed oil, and cook it over a very low heat for about 10 minutes or until translucent. Add a little sea salt at this stage.
When the squash is cooked, scoop out all the flesh and add it to the cooked onions
along with the stock and grated nutmeg. Bring this to the boil and simmer gently for five more minutes.
Whizz everything together in a blender then add the apple cider vinegar and adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle a good grind of pepper and the pinch of chilli powder onto the chickpeas and give them a good shake.
Optional
Squash crisps: while the oven is still hot, continue to roast the squash skin; this works especially well for butternut squash, just chop the skin up (crisp size!) and stir it around the roasting dish so that the remaining oil is used. Bake for a further 10 minutes at a slightly lower temperature; 160C fan, then offer them while warm in a bowl on the side.
Roasted seeds: wash the scooped-out seeds in a sieve to gradually free them from their flesh. Pat them and dry and bake in the same tray as the crisps above with a little salt.
To serve: serve each bowl with the roasted chickpeas on the top; you can also add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil or yogurt first; crispy bacon or toasted seeds also work well.
Sourcing and seasonal
There are lots of squash to choose from late summer through autumn into winter. You can also add in carrots or parsnips for extra veg variety and flavour.
