Warming Miso & Butternut Soup

Autumnal soups—is there anything better? We can have negative associations with soup, maybe from our school days, but they can be so much better than that. They can also be filling and packed with goodness, just like this warming miso and butternut Soup. I also love using miso because it is a brilliant probiotic source and is wonderful for the immune system at this time of year.

Warming Miso & Butternut Soup

Butternut & Miso Soup

• 1 organic Butternut peeled and sliced into cubes

• Drizzle of olive oil

• 1 organic onion roughly chopped

• 2 organic garlic cubes crushed

• 1/4 cup of green lentils - ideally, these sit covered in water for a few hours with some apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tbsp of white sesame seeds

• 1 tbsp of organic white miso paste

• 2 cups of organic chicken stock

• 2 pinches of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper

• water to add

• Parsely or another herb for garnishing

Method:

1. Let the lentils sit covered in water and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar overnight or for at least an hour.

2. Peel and chop the squash. Place it in a pan with olive oil, onions, garlic, cayenne pepper, and cumin, and roast for 45 minutes at around 180 degrees. You know it's finished when the vegetables turn golden and soft.

3. Once the lentils have soaked, place them in a pan on the hob and cook for 30 minutes with some salt until soft.

4. Once the butternut is cooked and the lentils are soft, let them cool. Then, add them to a blender and blend until a smooth paste has formed.

5. Add the blended mix to a pan on a hob, along with the chicken stock, miso paste, and sesame seeds.

6. Gently heat the soup, stirring regularly. At this point, you may want to add more water or salt and pepper.

7. Once warmed, serve the soup and garnish with parsley (or any herb you have). I also enjoyed mine with goat halloumi.