This whole food plant-based butternut squash soup is low-calorie. Cannelini beans make this soup creamy and filling.
This soup is very healthy and fiber-rich. It goes with the starch solution diet also.
Eat this soup as an appetizer or as lunch with toppings.
This soup is very quick and easy to make. Just peel, chop, cook and puree the soup with a hand mixer. You don't need to roast your pumpkin, so time is saved.
How does the butternut squash soup taste like?
Butternut squash has a mildly sweet taste; this makes the soup also a bit sweet. It resembles a sweet potato taste. This soup has some heat from chili and pepper. Onions give the soup more flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds butternut squash. 1 medium one. 1 kg. Only half of the pumpkin in the photo was used.
- Yellow onion. Can be substituted with leek or other onion type.
- Garlic cloves. Replace with 1 teaspoon garlic powder if you dont have fresh cloves. Add the powder after at the same time with the other ingredients.
- 1 can cooked cannelini or white beans, 200 grams net weight.
- Vegetable broth powder.
- Miso paste (or salt)
- Black pepper. White pepper works also.
- Smoked paprika powder, skip this is you cant find it.
- Mixed dried herbs. Basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano are all good.
- Chili flakes/ 1 teaspoon sriracha/ ½ teaspoon sambal oelek paste.
- Water, adjust the amount so you cover your veggies in the pot.
Tip: You can also add or replace some of the butternut squash with other root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or another pumpkin variety.
Variations of the soup
You can adjust the spices in the recipe card for these variations below:
Thai spiced
- 2 cm fresh grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 fresh sliced medium chili
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves
- ½ cup coconut milk added
Replace the ingredients with these above.
Curried soup
If you are a curry powder lover, you can add 2 teaspoon additional yellow curry powder to the soup.
Creamy butternut soup
The beans already give the soup some creaminess, but you can add coconut cream to the soup if you want some additional creaminess and extra calories. Cashew creamer is also an excellent plant-based vegan option.
Cashew cream is made by blending 1 cup of cashews with 1 cup of water in a high-speed blender and then added to the pureed soup.
How to make this simple soup?
You need a good sharp peeler. Start by peeling your winter squash. If you don't want to peel it, you can first cut it into slices and then cut the skin away.
Cut the butternut squash into equal-sized pieces; this makes them cook evenly. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon or knife. You can save and roast the seeds if you like to. They are edible.
Peel your onion and garlic cloves. Slice your onion into four pieces and add them to the soup.
Pour over the water and add a veggie broth cube or powder.
Boil for 15-20 minutes, test with a fork that your squash is soft. Take away approximately 2 cups of broth, but still leave some in the pot.
Rinse your cooked beans and add them to the pot.
Puree your soup with a hand mixer. You can also use a blender if it tolerates the heat.
Mix in some of the liquid if the soup is too thick. Add the seasonings and bring to boil.
How to peel your squash?
Peel your butternut squash by using one of these methods:
- Use a sharp peeler. Cut first the ends out and then peel the squash.
- Use only a knife. Cut first to 2-5 cm slices and then cut out the skin.
- Microwave for 3 minutes and then remove the softened skin.
- Roast your squash in the oven for 30 minutes and then scoop out the flesh.
What to serve with the soup?
For additional calories, you can top your soup with some of these:
- Roasted chickpeas
- Tofu "bacon" crumble
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Roasted nuts, like cashews
- Croutons
Serve your soup with some fresh bread or seed crackers. I recommend a couple of slices of Ezekiel bread with this soup topped with hummus and cucumber.
Crumbly "tofu bacon" as topping
My husband loves to add some smoked tofu that is fried with spices. It reminds me somewhat of real bacon because it has a very salty and smoky flavor.
To make it, you need:
- 200 grams firm tofu, smoked one is best
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke aroma
- ½ paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Some oil for fryin on the pan(optional)
To make this, just crumble your tofu with your hands on the pan and add the spices. Fry it on a pretty hot pan, constantly stirring, and wait, so it becomes crumbly and gets some color.
Nutrition content of the soup
The whole amount of soup has only 400 calories. You get 25 percent of your daily need of vitamin C, E, A, folate, and potassium from one portion. Butternut squash soup is very good for you and nutrient-dense.
One portion of butternut squash soup contains:
| Nutrient | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 100 kcal |
| Fat | 0,7 g |
| Carbs | 12,8 g |
| Protein | 6,2 g |
| Fiber | 8,8 g |
Other low-calorie plant-based recipes in fiberfoodfactory:
Is butternut squash a bad carb?
Butternut squash is a very healthy carb. It is a whole, unprocessed food with a lot of fiber to slow down carbohydrate absorption. It is low in calories and does not cause blood sugar spikes.
FAQ
If you accidentally put in too much liquid to the pureed soup, an easy way to thicken the soup is to add more cooked white beans into it. Cooked potato or other cooked root vegetables work also. Puree it again with a hand mixer.
You can also thicken the soup with 1-2 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in cold water. Bring then to a boil for 2 minutes.
Butternut is very low in calories. It is excellent for weight loss with high fiber content to keep you satiated. The soup with beans has only 100 calories per serving if you add heavy cream to your soup or top it with a heap of nuts, the calorie content rises.
If you don't want to peel your winter squash, you can roast it in the oven and then scoop out the pumpkin with a spoon leaving the skins.
You can freeze for up to 3 months, but in my opinion, it becomes somewhat watery and loses some taste.
Store up to 4 days in the fridge, in a vacuum-sealed container for up to one week.
📖 Recipe
Butternut pumpkin bean soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium pumpkin 2-2,5 pounds. Around 1 kg.
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 can cooked white beans. 200 grams net weight.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable broth powder
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste or salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs or thyme and basil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 4 cups water or as needed
Instructions
- Start by peeling your butternut squash. Cut the ends off. Remove the seeds with a spoon or knife. (you can save them and roast them if you like) If you dont have a good peeler you can slice your squash and then cut the skin away.
- Cut your squash to equal size pieces and put them in your pot.
- Peel your onion and garlic cloves. Slice your onion in four and add the onions in the pot.
- Cover with water and add in the vegetable broth powder. Boil for 20 minutes.
- Try with a fork that your squashes are soft. Remove 1-2 cups of the boil water, but save it for a while.
- Rinse your beans and add them in the pot. Use a hand mixer to puree your soup. Aldo a blender works if it tolerates heat.
- After blending add some of the saved water if your soup feels too dense.
- Add in the spices and bring your soup to a boil while mixing it. If you want to add additional creamer like coconut milk, you can do it in this stage.
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