Butternut Squash Soup with Chicken, Coconut, and Ginger

By Dietdoctor @DietDoctor1

Here's another LCHF recipe, a wholesome, warming dairy-free soup from Swedish chef Birgitta Höglund. She also runs a popular low-carb/Paleo recipe blog with more delicious recipes.

This butternut-squash is from Birgitta's cookbook Low Carb High Fat and Paleo Slow Cooking.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chicken, Coconut, and Ginger

Not only does it display a vibrantly beautiful color, butternut squash also contains a lot of beneficial nutrients, which is why this vegetable should become a regular feature on our tables. I often buy butternut squash when I'm in Turkey and roast it in the oven with herbs and butter.

I've made the recipe completely dairy-free. It's a truly wholesome soup made from coconut milk, and flavored with ginger, garlic, and turmeric.

Ingredients, 4 servings

1 butternut squash, about 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
3⅓ fl. oz. (100 ml) coconut oil (with coconut flavor)
½-1 teaspoon salt
about ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
2-inch (5 cm) piece of fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
6¾ fl. oz. (200 ml) finely chopped leek, white only
1 tablespoon turmeric
3⅓ fl. oz. (100 ml) homemade chicken stock
or 1 organic chicken stock cube + 3⅓ fl. oz. (100 ml) water
2 cups (500 ml) coconut cream
3½ fl. oz. (400 ml) water
juice from 1 lime
1⅔ cups (400 ml), shredded cooked chicken

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).

Cut the squash into wedges, scrape out the seeds, and cut scoop out the flesh from the peel. Cut the flesh into smaller chunks and place them into an ovenproof dish that has been brushed with coconut oil. Toss the chunks of squash with coconut oil and season with salt and chili flakes. Start with the smaller amount of salt, as the stock also contains a bit of salt. Roast the squash for 30 minutes.

Peel the ginger and garlic; grate them finely. Heat the rest of the coconut oil in a stew pot, and sauté the ginger, garlic and leek for a few minutes without letting them brown. Add turmeric and sauté a bit longer. Add in the now-soft chunks of squash, and pour the chicken stock or stock cube and water over the contents of the pot. Stir in the coconut cream and bring to a boil.

Leave the soup to simmer for half an hour. Blend it smooth directly in the saucepan by using an immersion blender, or use a food processor. Season the soup with some lime juice, and more salt and chili if needed.

Heat the shredded chicken in a covered saucepan with a small amount of stock. Place the meat in four bowls and pour the steaming hot soup over it. Garnish the bowls with red chili flakes and some fresh cilantro.