Roasted Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Soup

Picture this: the holiday lights are twinkling, the air is crisp, and all you need is a comforting bowl of something warm, grounding, and delicious. Enter this Roasted Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Soup! It’s creamy, earthy, and packed with flavours that bring the coziness and calm we all need this time of year. With a medley of herbs and spices, this soup isn’t just food; it’s a little bowl of holiday harmony.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Rich and Creamy Without the Dairy: Thanks to canned coconut milk, this soup has a creamy texture without any dairy. It's gentle on the stomach, easy to digest, and super smooth.
Grounding Ingredients: Butternut squash and cauliflower offer fibre and minerals that help ground your energy, making them a great choice when things get busy. Plus, the warming spices—think ginger, rosemary, and thyme—are perfect for counteracting chilly weather.
Easy and Satisfying: This recipe is made with easy-to-find ingredients and includes a quick, hands-off cooking method using the Instant Pot. It’s the holiday season; you’ve got enough going on already!
A Nutritional Powerhouse: Every ingredient here packs some serious health benefits, from vitamins to antioxidants, to keep you feeling your best.

Nutritional Benefits of This Soup

Butternut Squash: This vibrant orange veggie is loaded with beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, supporting immune function, eye health, and even glowing skin. Butternut squash also provides fibre, which helps keep digestion smooth and steady, perfect for managing holiday indulgence.
Cauliflower: A member of the cruciferous veggie family, cauliflower is packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients that help reduce inflammation. It’s also high in fibre and vitamin C, both of which support a healthy immune system—always a bonus during flu season!
Olive Oil: This healthy fat is rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. Using olive oil helps your body absorb all the fat-soluble vitamins in the soup (hello, vitamin A!), and it adds a subtle richness.
Coconut Milk: Canned coconut milk brings the creamy factor without the dairy. It’s full of lauric acid, a type of fat that may help with heart health, and it provides a subtle coconut flavour that balances the savory spices.

Why These Ingredients Are Great for Grounding and Holiday Harmony

Energy medicine considers foods that grow in or close to the earth, like butternut squash and cauliflower, to be grounding. These earthy veggies help balance our energy, bringing a sense of calm and stability when life starts to feel chaotic. The warming spices in this soup—ginger, rosemary, thyme, and sage—are known in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine to support circulation and digestion, which can get a bit sluggish in colder months. And with black pepper and garlic added, this soup isn’t just delicious but also a natural immunity boost.
To learn Energy medicine strategies to help you tackle the upcoming festive season read Becca’s article Harnessing Holiday Harmony-Energy Medicine Tips for a Stress-Free Season.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, roasted, and chopped
1/4 cup cauliflower, chopped and roasted
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground sage
1 tsp sea salt
1 can of coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup raw pepitas (toasted, for garnish)
Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions:

Roast the Veggies: Preheat the oven to 420°F (216°C). Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and coat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, flesh side up, and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Chop the cauliflower, coat with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 25 minutes or until browned.
Prep the Soup Base: Heat the remaining olive oil in an Instant Pot on Sauté mode. Add chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in minced garlic, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, ground ginger, and sage. Let the spices toast for a minute until fragrant.
Combine Ingredients: Add the roasted squash and cauliflower, stirring to coat with the spices. Deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom.
Pressure Cook: Add the remaining vegetable broth and coconut milk, then close the Instant Pot lid and set to High Pressure for 5 minutes. Let it naturally release for 12 minutes.
Blend and Serve: Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender, working in batches) to puree the soup until smooth. If it’s too thick, add extra broth or water to reach your desired consistency. Serve with a sprinkle of toasted pepitas and chopped cilantro.

Why Pepitas and Cilantro?

Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds): These little green seeds add crunch and are loaded with magnesium, zinc, and antioxidants, all of which support relaxation, immune function, and heart health.
Cilantro: This herb isn’t just for looks—it adds a fresh, bright flavour that complements the creamy texture of the soup. Cilantro also contains antioxidants and has been linked to natural detoxification, helping the body handle seasonal stress.

This Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Soup doesn’t just taste great—it’s a bowl of holiday balance. Grounding, nourishing, and warming, it’s perfect for those moments when you need a little reset. So grab a spoon, cozy up, and let this bowl of goodness bring some harmony to your holiday season.

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Krista