Butternut Squash Spinach Soup

This is a savory, easy vegan butternut squash spinach soup recipe with lite coconut milk, celery, sage and lemon juice. It’s perfect for the cooler months of the year. And it cooks up fast.

If you are feeling particularly fancy, top this vegan butternut squash soup with fried fresh sage leaves. To make fried sage leaves, just add a bit of oil to a skillet, drop in fresh sage leaves, and fry until crisped.  I may have eaten a few fried sage leaves along the way 😉

As a variation, stir in 1 cup of dehydrated soy curls and cover the piping hot soup with a lid for 10 minutes to give them time to cook through.

This vegan butternut squash and spinach soup recipe makes 4 servings.

Check out more UVK recipes, like Vegan Cream of Kolhrabi Soup, Arugula and Butternut Squash Salad, Coconut Curry Carrot Soup, Chickpea Curry, Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice, Apples and Walnuts, or Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup.

Butternut Squash Spinach Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage (OR ½ tsp dried sage)

2 bay leaves

3 ½ cups cubed butternut squash (I used two 10 ounce packages of frozen cubed butternut squash)

13.5 ounce can of lite coconut milk

2 cups broth (fake chicken or vegetable)

2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, packed

Black pepper, to taste

1. First, you’ll sauté the aromatics for the butternut squash spinach soup. In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, add olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, sage, bay leaves, a dash of salt, and black pepper (to taste) over medium heat.  Sauté for ~7 minutes.

2. Add butternut squash, coconut milk, and broth to the soup pot.  Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, and then, lower the heat. Simmer over low for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.  

3. Once it’s done simmering, remove the pot from heat, pull out the bay leaves, and blend the soup in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender until it’s completely smooth.  

4. Stir in the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, nutmeg and spinach.  Taste the butternut squash spinach soup, and adjust seasonings, if needed (more salt?  lemon? onion powder?).  Serve.