Prep Time:  20 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 8-10- (depending on your hungry level)

Winter squashes are the perfect cold-weather food to add to your daily meals.  Butternut squash is a thinner-skinned sweet squash that is high in natural sugars, complex carbohydrates, vitamins A & C, and so delicious. This brothy-style soup
is so easy to prepare and so satisfying.  Substitute kale for other dark leafy greens: spinach, Swiss chard, or your favorite greens.
Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoon, coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1 each, leek, white part, cleaned and small dice
  • 3 cloves,  garlic, minced
  • 4 stalks, celery, small dice
  • 1 medium, butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, medium dice
  • 2 Tablespoon, tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon, thyme , dry
  • 1/4 teaspoon, nutmeg, ground
  • 1 bunch,  kale, stems removed, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 8 cups, vegetable or chicken stock
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • Optional- 2 cups , cooked grains (quinoa, wild rice, long grain brown rice)

Method

  1. Heat soup pot over medium heat, add coconut oil.  Saute leeks, garlic and celery for 2-3 minutes until softened slightly, add butternut squash and toss to combine, saute for several minutes longer.
  2. Add tomato paste, thyme and nutmeg and stir to combine, saute for a few minutes to lightly brown and caramelize tomato paste.
  3. Add stock, cover pot and simmer for 10-12 minutes until butternut squash is almost cooked.
  4. Add Chopped kale to soup, stir and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until kale is soft.
  5. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Add grains if desired & sprinkle with a little Parmesan or vegan Parmesan cheese
  7. Enjoy your warm bowl of nourishing homemade soup!