Soups are healthy, comforting, and easy to digest, so you just have to find your favorite blends and make them on rotation. When fall hits, I immediately start buying kabocha squash at the farmers’ market and steam it, roast it, and even blend it into smoothies. But this soup is the perfect way to enjoy the king of all winter squash. Cashews make it lusciously creamy, and the warming spices make it feel incredibly nourishing.
Serves 4
What you need:
- 1 kabocha squash
- 3 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups water, divided
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
What you do:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice kabocha squash in half, scoop out seeds, and slice into large wedges.
- Place squash wedges on baking sheet and drizzle with maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Bake for 30 minutes, flipping over after 15 minutes. Squash should be soft all the way through. Let cool.
- Into a large pot over medium heat, heat ½ cup water. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant.
- Remove skin of cooled squash (save to eat as a snack!). Into the pot, add flesh of squash, remaining 1½ cups water, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, and then turn off heat.
- Add cashews. Using a hand-held blender (or transfer entire mixture to a blender), blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into individual soup bowls and top with pomegranate seeds.
Healthy hints:
>> I first discovered kabocha squash in Japan and have been a fan ever since. Kabocha is one of the country’s most prized foods!
>> I’ve got lots of recipes featuring kabocha on Healthy Vegan, including Perfectly Roasted Oil-Free Kabocha, my Thanksgiving Bowl (hello, pecan-crusted Kabocha), and this Japanese Macro Bowl.
>> Don’t have cashews on hand? Swap for ¼ cup unsweetened coconut cream.
