Butternut Squash Bisque

Butternut squash is synonymous with Autumn. I mean, just look at it. It LOOKS like Autumn. For me, butternut squash bisque is one of my favorite things about this season.  I never really knew about it growing up, my mom wasn’t too familiar with it so we never had it as a kid. My fiancee is the one who introduced me to it. When we first started dating, she would always order this bisque if it was available.

So through her, I got to try it and it was love at first taste. It’s everything you want in a bisque/soup, it’s comforting, filling, and most importantly (when done right) healthy. Making this bisque/soup is super easy, I substitute cream for coconut milk, the coconut milk makes it slightly lighter than when you use cream. The crucial reason why I use coconut milk is that it leaves a pleasant aftertaste in your mouth after you’ve had a spoonful.

The coconut milk I use is made from scratch. You can use canned coconut milk but I prefer to make my own, there aren’t any weird stabilizers and sugar in homemade coconut milk. It’s very easy, you just need shredded coconut, hot water, a blender, and a nut bag (hhahahhahahahah). Here are your instructions courtesy of The Kitchn.

Butternut squash is chock full of nutrients (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Fiber, and it has a Low Glycemic Index). This helps make it a staple in my kitchen come Autumn. The drawback to butternut squash is its tough outer skin. But I found a way around that, too. All you have to do is roast it in the oven before you start anything else, this helps build a richer flavor in the squash, too.

You can spice the bisque/soup with any spices you want. If you want it to have a Thai flavor you can add some minced lemongrass, or if you want an almost pumpkin pie flavor add some pumpkin pie spice. It’s a very versatile dish that is hard to screw up.

And best of all, you can freeze it. It freezes perfectly and reheats like it was cooked that day.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash

1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

2 Cups of Coconut Milk

1 Cup of Vegetable Broth (or Chicken Broth)

2 Tsp. Cinnamon

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Method

Cut your squash in half and put it face down on a baking sheet. Place in 350F oven. Roast until the squash is completely soft and the skin can be peeled off (after you allow it to cool).

In a deep dutch oven, heat your coconut oil and add your peeled butternut squash. Saute the squash and then add your cinnamon and brown sugar. After about 5 minutes of sauteing the mixture, add your broth. Let this simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Now add your coconut milk, stir and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.

Transfer all of the ingredients into a blender to puree the mixture. Blend for about 5 minutes. You want the bisque/soup to be super creamy.

Once you’ve blended the soup, transfer it back to a pot and add your brown sugar. Stir and serve!

Enjoy!