Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
Doctor and nutritionist Dr Michelle Braude shares a healthy meal packed full of autumnal flavours. This vibrant soup is jam packed with goodness. The pumpkin seed topping adds a great source of plant based protein, and also make a delicious snack on their own.
Ingredients:
Serves 8Soup
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 2 green apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp xylitol sugar alternative (available in stores as Total Sweet)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp chilli powder
• 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 2kg butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into cubes
• 2 litres of vegetable stock (made from vegetable stock powder)
• Generous pinch of salt and black pepper
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds:
• 140g pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp chilli powder
Method:
Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, apple, cinnamon, ginger, chilli powder and salt. Cook, whilst stirring occasionally, for around 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash to the pot, and stir to coat for another 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, with the pot covered, for around 40-50 minutes, until the squash is soft. Allow the soup to cool and blend in a blender or with a hand-held immersion blender until completely smooth.To make the spiced pumpkin seeds – combine the oil, cinnamon, chilli powder, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Add the pumpkin seeds and stir to coat. Heat a pan over a medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds, and allow to toast in the pan, whilst stirring to ensure they don’t burn, for around 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully. Serve the soup heated, with a generous sprinkling of spiced pumpkin seeds on top.