Soothing Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup

It’s cold. It’s blustery. And all you want to do is snuggle up under a blankie and binge watch a box set. 

But you can’t.. You got Things to do & People to see.. 

WAAAAAA!

Don’t worry this richly smooth soup is here with it’s glorious uplifting colour and silky flavours to calm your soul, bolster your spirits and help you head out and face whatever it is that you have to be doing. 

I made this hearty soup with butterbeans, but you could easily use cannellini or borlottis. What you want is a white bean that has a smooth texture that sort of breaks down as you simmer it, which creates a lovely creamy texture that I find so comforting to eat. 

Make sure you have a good vegetable peeler and use that to peel the thin skin of the butternut squash, then chop it into 2cm (1″)  squares before simmering it in a lovely vegetable stock alongside the beans and some herbs. 

For the full effect, don’t puree this soup, but give it a good mash with a potato masher. The squash and beans will end up being sort of semi crushed and become lovely and silky with a few hearty chunks. 

Originally I was going to serve this with lovely toasted squash seeds to serve.

But. Um…… I roasted  them in the oven with some smoked paprika, and then they accidentally ended up in my mouth. So I couldn’t. 

Oops. 

Instead I made a delicious crunchy garlicky kale and pine nut topping to go on top of the soup, which has a pleasing textural difference that adds a new dimension to this comforting soup, however croutons or a swirl of pesto would be equally at home here. Or if you can keep yourself from eating freshly toasted squash seeds, use those! 

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Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

A soothing & cheering soup made with golden Butternut Squash and delicious creamy white beans. 

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: soup, Vegan

Servings: 4

Author: Louise-Claire Cayzer

Ingredients

• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 400g tin white beans eg. Cannelini or Butterbean
• 500-750 ml vegetable stock (home made is best) or stock cube dissolved in water
• 2 tsp rosemary or thyme finely chopped

For the Crispy topping

• 2 handfuls kale
• 40 g pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Instructions

1. Sautee the onion and garlic with the olive oil in a large pan until translucent.

2. Add the squash and veggie stock. (You want the stock to cover the veggies- add more water if needed) 

3. Simmer for 10 mins & add the beans & herbs. 

4. Simmer for another 10 mins until the squash is completely soft and all the veggies start to collapse.

5. Add a little extra water if needed, then squish with a potato masher or partially blend with an immersion blender. You want the texture to be creamy,  but with some satisfying chunks. 

For the crispy topping

1. Finely chop the kale and saute in a pan for around 3 mins with the olive oil & garlic.

2. Add the pine nuts and sautee for a few more minutes until the kale is crispy and the pine nuts toasted.

3. Remove the garlic before serving. 

Recipe Notes

Serve the food hot, with the crispy kale and pine nut topping.