One of my favorite things about fall is the return of comfort food. Give me a warm bowl of soup or one-pot pasta recipe over a refreshing salad any day. This creamy butternut squash soup recipe has the taste of your favorite comfort food without the calories and guilt that typically come with comfort food. And as an added bonus, it’s full of protein and topped with crunchy pepitas.
It still doesn’t feel like fall here in Texas yet. I keep waiting for it and then mother nature decides that it’s going to be 95 degrees again. Apparently fall happens, it just happens when the rest of the country is celebrating winter.
Fall weather may be the only thing I miss about living in DC, but I sure miss my four seasons. So I’m moving forward with all of my fall traditions anyway. One of those traditions is enjoying all of the fall flavors from apples to pumpkin and of course, squash. Butternut squash is super sweet naturally, perfect for this girl who’s not eating sugar this month and still craving something sweet.
The secret to this soup is that it’s packed full of protein and you’d have no idea. Instead of just blending the butternut squash with a little chicken broth, I added in two scoops of my favorite grass-fed, pasture-raised VitalProteins beef gelatin. It’s flavorless, colorless, and odorless. And it’s perfect to add to a little hidden protein to this soup.
Now let’s talk about the finisher – the spiced pepitas on top. If you’ve never had pepitas before, they’re shelled pumpkin seeds, and they’re delicious. They’re even better when you roast them with a few spices and a little sugar or honey. And they add a great crunch to this otherwise smooth and velvety soup.
Protein Packed Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 1/2lbsbutternut squash soup, cubed
- 2TBSolive oil
- Salt
- 4scoops Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin
- 1 1/2cupchicken broth
- 1/2cupwater
- 1/2tspsalt
- 2tspraw honey
- 1/8tspcinnamon
- A dash nutmeg
For the Pepitas
- 1/8tspcinnamon
- 1/8tspsalt
- dash nutmeg
- 1/4tspwater
- 1/4tsphoney
- 1/2cuppepitas(shelled pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
For the soup
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Place butternut squash cubes in single layer on lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.
- Place butternut squash in blender with chicken broth and Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin and blend until smooth.
- Pour butternut squash mixture into a pot on the stove and stir in water, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey. Heat on stove. Serve warm topped with spiced pepitas.
For the Pepitas
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
- Combine honey, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
- Add pepitas to the spices and mix around to coat completely.
- Pour pepitas onto baking sheet and shake the pan to get them in one layer.
- Roast for 10 then remove pan from oven and shake to mix. Roast for another 5-7 minutes. Remove immediately from pan so they don't burn.
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