Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup

Hey, hi, hello. Happy Friday! 

Do you realize that we are already almost done with the month of October?! WHAT IS THAT??!!
There’s so much left on my fall bucket list that I haven’t checked off this year. Apple picking, pumpkin patching, lounging in my Pj’s all day and having a Halloween marathon. I’m definitely going to be doing some of that this weekend. We have a party we’re going to on Saturday night so on Sunday I am anticipating an all-day pajama fest. We’re doing clown makeup so fingers crossed that it turns out! I’m going to practice on Thomas first… poor guy. Are you guys dressing up this weekend? If so please tell! You have to know by now that halloween weekend is one of my favorites of the year, so I want to know everyone’s costumes!

To stick with my crazy Fall/Halloween lady vibe, I should tell you that I’m totally squash obsessed lately…I know I know, that is probably a weird thing to say and probably  even weirded that I would be obsessed with squash but it’s the truth. In all of it’s colorful, creamy, belly-filling glory it has been a component to most of our meals as of late.

We roast it, mash it, purée it, slurp it, put it in our smoothies…kidding. But maybe that’s a good idea! This moroccan butternut squash soup is EVERYTHANG you want for a satisfying meal. It’s such a healthy soup yet feels like you’re splurging! It tastes like it has so much cream but it’s just the silky butteriness of the squash mixed with the coconut milk. I made this one that was similar last year, but I love how this recipe is jazzed up with pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and cilantro. I adapted this recipe from Half Baked Harvest! So, so good. 

I hope you guys have an amazing halloween weekend! I’ll be around these parts sharing my favorite spooky treats from around the web – I’m also brewing up a witchy cocktail to share with you guys on Halloween day! 

Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
– 2 tablespoons coconut oil
– 1 red bell pepper chopped
– 4 cloves of garlic, minced
– 4 cups butternut squash peeled + cubed
– 1 teaspoon spicy curry powder
– 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
– 1/2 teaspoon cumin
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
– 2 cups veggie broth
– salt and pepper to taste
– 4 ounces goat cheese softened + more for topping
– roughly chopped cilantro for topping
– pomegranate seeds for topping

What to do

1. Add the coconut oil to a large soup pot set over medium heat. Once hot, add the red pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add the minced garlic, cubed butternut squash, spicy curry powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes then pour in the coconut milk and veggie broth. Bring the soup to boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork tender.

2. Once the butternut squash is tender, add the crumbled goat cheese to the soup. Remove the pot from the stove and allow to cool slightly, then puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Return the soup back to the stove and heat through.

3. To serve, ladle the soup into bowl. Drizzle cream over the soup and swirl with a spoon. Garnish with chopped cilantro and crumbled goat cheese. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Note: I mixed sour cream with a little almond milk to make a thinned cream to garnish the soup. You could do this with coconut cream as well!

Enjoy!