Winter Squash Soup with Kale Pesto

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenWinter Squash Soup with Kale Pesto

Skill Level	Intermediate

Preparation Time	10 minutes	Total Time	40 minutes
Servings	6	Cost Per Serving	$1.10

2 lbs (4 cups)	Winter Squash (any squash will work: Butternut, Acorn, Turban, Hubbard)
1 tbsp	Olive Oil
1	Medium Onion, roughly chopped
2	Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks	Celery, roughly chopped
2 cloves	Garlic, crushed
1 branch	Rosemary
1 tsp	Dried Chili Flakes (optional)
1 L	Water or Vegetable Stock
To Taste	Salt and Black Pepper

Pesto

8	Kale Leaves (preferably the dark Dinosaur Kale), stems removed
1 cup	Parsley
5 tbsp	Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp	Lemon Juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
2 tbsp	Pumpkin or Squash Seeds
1 clove	Garlic, crushed
To Taste	Salt and Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice squash in half and remove the seeds, or leave whole (poke whole squash with a fork to allow moisture to escape). Place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes for halved squash, 45 minutes for whole.
While the squash is roasting, add olive oil to a large pot on medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, rosemary and chili (optional). Season with a pinch of salt. Allow to cook for about 7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Cover with water or stock, turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.
Once at a boil reduce to a simmer.
When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skin and into the pot. Remove pot from heat. Blend with a hand blender or carefully transfer to a blender. Season with salt and pepper.
For the pesto, cook kale in some boiling water for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and add the remaining ingredients except for the olive oil. Blend well while slowly adding the olive oil.
Add a spoonful of pesto to each bowl of soup.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for winter squash soup with kale pesto

Although winter squash is a starchy vegetable, the type of starch found in winter squash may offer extra health benefits. Some of the starch in winter squash is in the form of pectin, with special chains of acids attached, called homogalacturonan. These starch-related components have been shown in animal studies to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Did you know that cooking kale helps to make it even more heart-healthy? Steaming or blanching kale helps its fibre-related compounds to bind more effectively with the bile acids in your gut. This means the bile acids are removed from the body, resulting in lower cholesterol levels in the blood.