Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

I struggle finding time during the week to cook elaborate meals which means I rely heavily on my Pressure Cooker and Slow Cooker to do much of the work for me. I don’t want to compromise nutrition for convenience; which sometimes just takes a bit more effort. In the long run, that effort is worth the time as I know my family is eating nutritionally dense, delicious food.

Using the Instapot to pressure cook all of the produce greatly reduces the overall cooking time. If you prefer to chop and roast everything on a sheet pan – that would be a great alternative. I find peeling and chopping butternut squash extremely time consuming which is why I just toss the entire squash in the Pressure Cooker whole. I love the way coconut milk makes this soup creamy with slightly sweet flavor notes. If you eat dairy, however, you can substitute 1 cup of heavy whipping cream for the coconut milk to get the sweet creamy consistency. I love to serve this with some crusty sourdough bread or sprinkle pepitas on top for some crunchy texture.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash – washed
• 3 large carrots – peeled
• 1 large onion – peeled
• 1 large apple – cored
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric

Equipment needed:

• Instapot
• Blender
• Heavy bottomed stock pot

Method:

1. Place trivet in the bottom of the Pressure Cooker and pour water into the bottom.
2. Layer fruit and vegetables on top of the trivet and seal Pressure Cooker.
3. Place the release valve to “Sealing” and pressure cook for 25 minutes.
4. Once the timer goes off rotate the release valve to “Venting” until all the pressure has been released. I like to use a pair of tongs or wooden spoon to push the release valve.
5. Carefully – pull the butternuts squash out and cut in half.
6. Scoop seeds out of squash and peel.
7. In small batches add the cooked produce to the blender with small amounts of vegetable stock. Blend until puréed.
8. Add puréed produce to stock pot with leftover vegetable stock, coconut milk and spices and bring to a boil.
9. Allow to simmer for five minutes.
10. Serve immediately and enjoy!