This butternut squash soup is so unbelievably smooth and creamy and bursting with flavour that’s it’s hard to believe it’s healthy.
If there’s one soup that’s on heavy rotation in my house whether it’s winter, spring or fall it’s butternut squash soup. Whenever I go grocery shopping it’s like there’s some strange magnetic pull that always draws me towards a towering section of butternut squash.
Not only do I love the taste but I love the variety of nutrients that butternut squash offers. Part of my food philosophy is to get the most nutrient bang for my buck when I make a meal and this butternut squash soup truly delivers.
Butternut Squash Nutrition
Butternut squash is high in electrolytes.
What are electrolytes you ask?
Electrolytes are essentially nutrients in your body that do some pretty important things in your bod like making sure you heartbeat is regulated so you can run for that bus or hustle around the office. The major electrolytes found within the body include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphate and chloride.
Guess what?
In this butternut squash soup you’ll get the three major ones calcium, magnesium and potassium. Each one of these nutrients work together to help the body with various functions in their own unique and special way.
One of these nutrients actually helps to relieve stress! More on that in a bit…
Potassium helps to regulate your heartbeat. It’s also important to help metabolize carbohydrates and help your body convert it into energy. It also helps to lower high blood pressure.
We tend to lose a lot of potassium when we go for that pee break or break a sweat running up a flight of stairs, or whatever makes you sweat, for me it’s Idris Elba….I’m just saying 🙂
Did I just confess my crush there???
Ooops. #nofilter
Okay where were we?
The Truth About Calcium
Yes – calcium…and this butternut squash soup has a lot of it. You’ll get 67mg in one cup of cubed butternut squash.
Okay so here’s the thing or a few popular notions about calcium:
We can only get it through milk – FALSE
We only need it for strong bones – FALSE well kind of I’ll explain.
Here’s the thing or some relatively unknown truths about calcium. Yes you need it for strong bones but you also need it for strong healthy teeth and a strong healthy heart.
Out of all minerals in our body calcium is the most abundant. Although it’s stored in teeth and bones most don’t know that the remainder is used for circulation. Since it’s so important to keep your heart functioning and for muscle contraction, when your body doesn’t have enough calcium it actually removes it from your bones which can mean osteoporosis.
So I’ve saved the most important mineral for last – magnesium. I think this is one of my favourite minerals. I love what it does for the body and also love the food sources like butternut squash and chocolate! In 1 cup of cubed butternut squash you’re getting 47g of magnesium.
If you’re looking for more chocolate recipes check out this chocolate latte or these chocolate avocado cookies.
Similar to calcium, magnesium is also important for healthy bones and teeth and healthy heart function BUT magnesium is also known as the anti-stress mineral.
YAAAASSSS! That’s why I love it so much hunnie.
Family, work, money, your health – it’s always something. Understanding stress is an important part of learning how to manage your stress. There’s a huge difference between tapping into a food’s calming properties and using food as an emotional crutch.
When you’re stressed magnesium in your body plummets. The thing is though, that magnesium is CRUCIAL for helping you to regain some calm when you’re stressed.
This butternut squash soup is not only comforting in the way that it tastes, IT WILL ACTUALLY HELP TO MELLOW YOU OUT IN TIMES OF STRESS!
Ease your stress away with this coconut butternut squash soup! Share on X
Butternut Squash Health Benefits
In addition to these 3 power minerals there is a whole cast of other important nutrients in this butternut squash soup that I want to give a shout out to:
Vitamin A – aka retinol – is called retinol because Vitamin A is so important to eye health. It’s also important for healthy glowing youthful skin. Vitamin A also helps to prevent colds and also reduces inflammation in the body. One cup of butternut squash provides a whopping four times the recommended daily value of vitamin A. Don’t worry, you won’t OD on it, your body will only use and store what it needs.
Vitamin C – it is so important to make sure that your body always has adequate amounts of Vitamin C in the winter. Many people wait until the first signs of a cold to take Vitamin C. That’s like putting on a raincoat after you’ve been standing in the rain for an hour. You need to stock up on Vitamin C BEFORE you catch a cold to minimize your chances of getting sick in the first place. With one serving you’ll have over half the recommended intake of vitamin C
Manganese – this nutrient is helpful in assisting with weight loss especially when combined with potassium, which is another nutrient we talked about found in this butternut squash soup. There was also a study that showed that butternut squash contains an extract that stops your body from producing new fat to store.
What I love about foods like butternut squash is that it’s so high in so many antioxidants and nutrients that reduces your risk of cancer. The best way to reduce your risk of cancer is to make sure you’re fueling your body with nutrients like many of those found in this butternut squash soup that will help you to karate chop disease and keep your body healthy.
Now I just want to get back to this butternut squash soup for sec.
Most people mistakenly believe that butternut squash soup is healthy.
It can be for all the reasons I stated earlier however NOT when you dump massive amounts of half and half or whipping cream in the pot.
This healthier version contains coconut milk which will still give you that rich and creamy texture with healthy fat and tons of flavour.
I’ve also thrown in some lentils to kick up the protein so that you’ll get even more nutrients and make this more of a meal rather than just a side dish.
Here’s How to Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash
Okay let’s touch on the elephant in the room shall we?
Cutting into the dam thing.
I have friend who LOVES butternut squash soup but refuses to make it because she is terrified and intimidated about cutting into the butternut squash. I admit there was a time where the knife would trembled in my hand as I thought about how to cut into it.
You may be a little scared to do it too and that’s okay because I have you covered with this link.
Whether you want to whittle down your middle, reduce your stress or increase your longevity, this butternut squash delivers in many different ways. Make it one pot in about 30 minutes.
If you make it please come back and let me know if you enjoyed it!
What’s your favourite way to enjoy butternut squash? Leave a comment below!
Coconut Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash peeled and cubed (about 5 cups)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ cup red lentils rinsed and drained
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ - 1 teaspoon curry powder depending on your desired spice level
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ⁄2-1 cup coconut milk
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium high heat add coconut oil. When oil is hot add onion and garlic and spices, cook for about 1 – 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add butternut squash stirring to coat with spices. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes add lentils and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes making sure that lentils are soft.
- Add salt to taste and coconut milk and heat through for a few minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or cool and transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
