When I eat healthy food that is in tune with my body, I literally feel awesome– like I have an “inner glow.” It almost feels like I’ve spent some time in the gym rather than the kitchen. This Vegan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Soup definitely falls into the “inner glow” category. I adapted the soup from an old Sephardic Israeli family recipe. It includes fresh, seasonal produce and legumes– butternut squash for sweetness, fresh spinach for color and iron, and chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) for protein. The natural sweetness of the squash really compliments the nutty flavor of the chickpeas. The broth is flavored with a Middle Eastern mix of spices including turmeric, which has strong anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. In fact, turmeric is currently being studied as a possible cancer-fighting agent; some people take it in pill form because of its numerous health benefits. In short, there’s nothing bad about this soup… it’s all good! And it tastes amazing, too.
To learn how to easily peel and cube a butternut squash, check out this post: All About Butternut Squash – How to Peel, Seed and Prep. If you need some guidance on prepping the chickpeas, here’s a primer: How to Soak and Cook Chickpeas.
This soup is low in calories, full of fiber, loaded with flavor and gluten free. It’s perfect for autumn, when butternut squash is in season (I’m lucky enough to be able to get it year round here in Los Angeles). Healthy comfort food to give you an inner glow… what could be better?
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Vegan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 pounds cubed and peeled butternut squash
- 3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or two 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch cayenne
- Salt
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat up olive oil over medium. Add the onion and sauté for about 10 minutes till softened.
- Add the butternut squash and cooked chickpeas to the pot.
- Cover with 2 quarts (8 cups) of hot water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Stir in the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp of salt.
- Cover the pot, lid slightly vented. Let the soup cook for 20-25 minutes, till the squash is tender.
- Take the lid off and stir in the fresh spinach leaves. Let them simmer for 1-2 minutes till softened and wilted. Remove from heat.Serve hot. May be served over steamed brown rice for a more filling entrée.
Nutrition
Underflavored and watery, but fixed easily by using vegetable broth instead of water. Delicious when I added vegetable boullion. Even my meat-eating partner loved it and said I could cook it again anytime. Easy healthy recipe.
Made this last year for a friend.. GREAT recipe. Have a question….may I use the water I cooked my soaked chickpea in as part of the water?
Soaking water, no. Cooking water, yes! It will give the soup even more flavor. 🙂
I have leftover spinach and butternut squash from Rosh Hashanah and came to google to look for a recipe to use it up. Found this, and can’t wait to make it tonight! I love your site – I subscribed and can’t wait to read more 🙂
Thanks Rebecca! Enjoy 🙂
I made the squash soup. It is simple and easy to make. Tastes awesome! I love eating vegan!
Great to hear it Carol!
Appealing recipes!
FANTASTIC. SUBSTITUTED FRESH DILL INSTEAD OF SPINACH AND ADDED SEVERAL THIN SLICES OF FRESH GINGER AND GARLIC POWDER. COULDN’t be better. Thank you for sharing this scrumptious recipe.
OMG, best soup ever!!! I have way too much though as my husband won’t eat all things healthy, lol. I have two large soup containers and two small soup containers (like you get from chinese takeout). I will eat the two small ones this week for sure but not sure how much more I will eat right away. How long will it keep in the refrigerator? Can I freeze it and if so, for how long?
I only had one butternut squash so I threw in an acorn squash. I think the spices were perfect!! I also used chicken broth instead of water. Oh so yummy!!
It was just okay as written. I’ve had butternut chickpea soup with similar spices at an event in the past, so I was really looking forward to trying this recipe. I used stock instead of water, but found it much too bland for my taste. I think I ended up doubling – if not tripling – the spices.
Delicious soup! I threw in some quinoa, brown rice, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary and black pepper. Those additional ingredients gave it an extra kick I was craving! Thanks for the great recipe!