What’s the Secret Ingredient in Our Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger?
We love beautiful, sweet, nutrient-rich butternut squash. And we especially love how butternut breaks down as it cooks, making for a creamy-textured soup without the need to add cream. For richness, we add ghee to our Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger.
Ghee is Indian-style clarified butter. High in fat-soluble vitamins, ghee is a more healthful choice for those of us who are sensitive to lactose and casein. These are proteins found in butter before it is turned into ghee, which cause mild to severe irritation for many people. In the process of making golden, lightly caramelized ghee, the milk solids are thoroughly strained out, making ghee a better choice than butter for most people who do not tolerate dairy well.
Ghee has a host of other benefits, including its stability, high smoke point, and digestion-boosting properties. Explore our blog to learn more about this special, versatile ingredient. At Full Moon Ghee, we make our ghee with love under the full moon in Western Massachusetts, and our online shop is stocked with ghee in a variety of quantities and flavors. Order some today, and use it to whip up a batch of Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger!
Spice It Up with Turmeric-Ginger Ghee
Our favorite ghee to use in this recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger is our own Turmeric Spiced Ghee. Available in a 4oz jar from the Full Moon Ghee shop, this golden ghee is infused with spices and herbs, locally grown at the farms that neighbor us in Western Mass. Ginger, turmeric and ashwagandha are recommended by the Indian tradition of Ayurveda for promoting digestive vigor and nutrient assimilation—as is ghee, the scoop-able, spreadable fat we flavor with these spices. It’s delicious in our Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger.
The Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger and Ghee
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 4 Tbsp ghee (plain or Golden Spiced)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 2 carrots
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 3-4 cups preferred stock (vegetable or meat)
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
- Peel butternut squash, halve and scoop out the seeds, and chop into 1-inch cubes.
- In a large saucepan, melt 3 Tbsp ghee over low-medium heat. Add squash, stir to coat evenly, cover, and leave to cook for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop carrots, celery, and onion into ½-inch pieces. Add to the pot and cook 10 more minutes, stirring frequently. Mince the fresh ginger and garlic and add to the pot along with cinnamon, ground ginger, and cumin. Stir to coat the vegetables with ginger, garlic and spices. Let cook 1-2 minutes, until just fragrant. Be careful not to let the spices burn!
- Once you can smell the spices, add ½ cup of stock to deglaze the bottom of the pot, and stir to coat vegetables evenly. Add the remainder of the stock. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper and adjust to taste.
- Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, upright blender, or food processor. Garnish each bowl of Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger with a dollop of ghee and a sprinkle of cinnamon.