How to Make Heart Healthy Butternut Squash Soup in an Instant
When it comes to enjoying a hot bowl of soup, people generally have two options. Option one is they can roll the dice and try out a canned soup from the grocery store. The downside to buying canned soup is that more than a few brands out there aren’t exactly known for their nutritional value. The other option is to just make your own soups from scratch. With this approach, you can be sure of the ingredients used and you won’t have to worry about any unhealthy additives. Homemade soups can actually be incredibly healthy as well. A great example is this recipe that will show you how to make heart healthy butternut squash soup in an instant. You’ll make your own spicy roasted pumpkin seeds and then add them into a hearty butternut squash soup that’s made with savory herbs, spices, and bone broth. Yum!
Great for Your Heart (And Your Taste Buds Too!)
The best part about this soup recipe (aside from how heart healthy it is) is definitely the deliciously spicy taste provided by the roasted pumpkin seeds. With that in mind, the first thing you’re going to want to do is get them ready. After lining a baking sheet with parchment paper, combine your pumpkin seeds, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, olive oil, and a bit of salt in a small bowl. Spread them out on the baking sheet and throw them in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Not only will you end up with some unbelievably tasty spicy pumpkin seeds, but each and every ingredient used is known to be great for your heart health as well. Seriously, you’ve got:
Pumpkin Seeds – As with most types of plant seeds, pumpkin seeds are rich in heart healthy fatty acids and their consumption has been linked with lower incidences of cardiovascular disease. (1)
Olive Oil – A well known staple of the Mediterranean diet, real extra virgin olive oil is incredibly beneficial when it comes to reducing your risk of heart disease. It does this by helping to relieve high blood pressure while reducing total cholesterol levels as well. (2)
Cayenne Pepper – Nearly all types of peppers contain a compound known as capsaicin. It’s the main reason why they’re so spicy, but it also provides most of their health benefits. Some of the known benefits offered by capsaicin include its ability to help promote both vascular and metabolic health. (3)
Ground Cumin – One of my favorite culinary spices, cumin has been traditionally used across the globe to treat a wide variety of ailments. Studies have found that cumin can help with weight loss and insulin resistance, two benefits that can directly decrease your risk of heart disease. (4)
With the spicy pumpkin seeds out of the way, use an Instant Pot set to ‘SAUTE’ and cook the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Both ingredients add a ton of flavor to your soup, but more importantly, they also provide even more protection against heart disease. (5) You can then add in the butternut squash, cumin, coriander, water, and bone broth (check out our great Instant Pot bone broth recipe). Seal up the Instant Pot and set it to ‘PRESSURE COOK’ for five minutes. After it’s done cooking, pour the soup into an immersion blender and puree until smooth. Garnish the soup with the pumpkin seeds and you’ll be all set to enjoy one devilishly spicy bowl of butternut squash soup!
How to Make Heart Healthy Butternut Squash Soup in an Instant
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (about 1 ½ pound), peeled, seeded and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1⁄2 tsp ground coriander
- 4 cups homemade bone broth
- 2 cups water
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the spicy pumpkin seeds:
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds, cleaned
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl place the pumpkin seeds, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and olive oil and toss to combine. Spread on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast for 5- 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the seeds from the oven and set aside.
- To make the soup, press the SAUTE button on the Instant pot and let stand until screen reads “HOT”.
- Add the olive oil.
- Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the butternut squash, cumin, coriander, bone broth and water.
- Close and seal the Instant pot.
- Turn the venting knob to SEALING and press PRESSURE COOK button.
- Adjust the timer to 5 minutes.
- When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Using an immersion blender or food processor or blender, puree the soup until smooth.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve, garnished with spicy pumpkin seeds.
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