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 Soothing Butternut Squash and White Bean soup is here..
.....with its 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. (or indeed, to help you stay at home and be comforted)
I made this hearty soup with butterbeans, but you could easily use cannellini or borlotti beans. 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. (See the step by step instructions below for how it should look) 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 gorgeous golden butternut soup 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. Sorry about that.
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!
If you like this cozy autumn Butternut Squash and White Bean soup, be sure to check out some of our others! We LOVE soup here at the Vegan Larder! And if you make this delicious soup, please give us a rating below and let us know! We love seeing our recipes out in the 'wild!' x
Vegan Yellow Split Pea & Ham Soup
Vegan Spring Greens Minestrone Soup with Gremolata
Vegan Celeriac, Pear and Butter Bean Soup
Spiced Black Bean and Roasted Tomato Soup
Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 3-4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 240 g (1½ cups) cooked white beans (1 standard tin/can eg. Cannelini or Butterbean)
- 750 ml (3¼ cups) vegetable stock (or a good quality vegan stock cube or boullion dissolved in same amount of water)
- 2 teaspoon rosemary or thyme (finely chopped)
For the Crispy topping
- 100 g (1 cup) kale
- 40 g (¼ cup) pine nuts (You can also use pumpkin or squash seeds)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Sautee the onion and garlic with the olive oil in a large pan until translucent.
- Add the squash and veggie stock. (You want the stock to cover the veggies - add more water if needed) .
- Simmer for 10 mins & add the beans & herbs.
- Simmer for another 10 mins until the squash is completely soft and all the veggies start to collapse.
- 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
- Finely chop the kale and saute in a pan for around 3 minutes with the olive oil & garlic.
- Add the pine nuts and sautee for a few more minutes until the kale is crispy and the pine nuts are toasted.
- Remove the garlic before serving.
