Creamy butternut squash soup

Butternut squash is one of the more forgiving foods you can eat when your system is inflamed. It is soft, sweet, and easy to digest. It also delivers beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A - a nutrient involved in maintaining the integrity of the gut lining and supporting immune regulation. When you are working on an autoimmune condition, that matters.

This soup is smooth and genuinely creamy without any dairy. The coconut cream does the work that heavy cream used to do, and the arrowroot gives it a body that holds up when you reheat it the next day. One batch, four to six servings.

Black pepper has been omitted here. Peppercorn is excluded on AIP elimination, and honestly this soup does not need it - the caramelized onion and the natural sweetness of the squash carry the flavor without it.

The squash itself is worth a moment of acknowledgment. It grew in the ground, it held onto sunlight, and now it is on your stove. That is not nothing.

Ingredients

• 32 oz butternut squash, cubed (about 2-3 lb, or 1 medium squash)
• 32 oz beef broth (homemade for strict AIP, or clean-label)
• 3 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup coconut cream (optional, for added creaminess)
• 2 tbsp arrowroot flour (or water chestnut flour) dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water

Note: black pepper omitted - excluded on AIP elimination.

Method

Warm the avocado oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to caramelize and turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Give it the time it needs - the caramelization adds real flavor.

Add the cubed butternut squash and pour in the beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is completely tender and yields easily to a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat and blend until smooth - use an immersion blender directly in the pot, or transfer in batches to a standing blender (vent the lid to release steam).

Return the blended soup to the pot over medium-low heat. Stir in the coconut cream if using. Stir the arrowroot into cold water to make a slurry, then pour it into the soup while stirring. Continue stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until the soup thickens.

Taste for salt and adjust. Serve warm.

*Adapted from predominantlypaleo.com*

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*Provenance: method rebuilt in ARM's own words from source file aip-source-archives/predominantly-paleo/creamy-butternut-squash-soup.md. Ingredient list used as factual reference. No third-party text reproduced.*