Ginger Butternut Squash & Parsnip Soup

The per­fect anti­dote to a windy, fall day this creamy soup comes togeth­er quick­ly and lasts for days in the fridge. Prepar­ing for a busy few weeks? Freeze the soup in indi­vid­ual serv­ings and thaw to room tem­per­a­ture for an extra speedy dose of nour­ish­ment. But­ter­nut squash and parsnips are chock full of vit­a­mins, min­er­als, and fiber, while the warm­ing gin­ger helps to low­er inflam­ma­tion and encour­age healthy diges­tion. Serve as is or with a warm piece of whole grain bread and topped with avocado.

Ingredients

• 1 large but­ter­nut squash, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
• 2–4 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 white onion, peeled and diced
• 2 table­spoons extra vir­gin olive oil or avo­ca­do oil
• 6 cups broth of your choice (chick­en, veg­etable, etc.)
• 1–2 tsp. sea salt
• 2–4 table­spoons minced ginger

Option­al: 1 Yukon gold pota­to, peeled and chopped (this thick­ens the soup a bit and pro­vides a great creamy tex­ture, but also mutes the fla­vor pro­file, so sea­son accordingly).

Instructions

1. In a large stock­pot, heat oil on medi­um heat
2. Add onion and parsnips to pot, and cook until veg­gies turn gold­en brown and soft
3. Add cubed squash (and pota­to if using), broth, salt, and ginger.
4. Bring to a boil, them low­er heat and sim­mer for 30 min­utes, or until squash is tender
5. Use an immer­sion blender to purée soup, or add in batch­es to a high-speed blender (remove the cap and place a dish­tow­el over the hole while blend­ing to allow steam to escape)
6. Taste, and add more gin­ger, or oth­er sea­son­ing, as desired.