Friends, this may be the most beautiful soup I’ve ever made. Or photographed. Or eaten. The lovely TK member Julia at The Roasted Root definitely has an eye for color and a wonderful sense for taste. This soup was one of those recipes that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. 

Luckily, it’s fall. I’d have had a hard time finding a butternut squash in April.

 
 
 

Speaking of butternut squash, if you’ve got one, (carefully) chop it in half. You’ll need a very sharp knife for this. Butternuts don’t give in easily.

 
 
 

Scrape out all of the seeds and slimy stuff.

 
 
 

Drizzle some oil on the insides, and sprinkle it with salt.

 
 
 

Place them face-down in a baking dish and place them in the oven for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.

 
 
 

Meanwhile, peel the beets and carrots, cut them into chunks and put them in your food processor.

 
 
 

Buzz them up until the pieces are small and slightly smaller than peas. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Don’t wash the food processor. (I like how Julia thinks.)

 
 
 

Zest a whole orange.

If you don’t have a Microplane zester, stop what you’re doing and go get one. (Make sure someone is home to watch your roasting squash.) I love mine, and use it all the time!

 
 
 

Add the zest to the beet-carrot mixture.

 
 
 

Cut the apples into large chunks.

 
 
 

Add them to the dirty food processor. (Don’t worry, it’ll all work out in the end.) Also, juice the orange you just zested, right over the apples.

Good grief, I need a manicure. Maybe if I hold out long enough I’ll have pink French tips.

 
 
 

Buzz up the apples an orange juice, and dump it into the bowl with the beets and carrots.

Nope, not time to wash the food processor. Hang tight.

 
 
 

Peel and slice the ginger, and throw the ginger pieces into the food processor with the walnuts.

Process them until you have a chunky, finely chopped mixture.

 
 
 

And … you guessed it. Transfer the mixture into the other bowl, along with some unsweetened coconut.

 
 
 

Over that, add some extra-virgin olive oil, a few pinches of salt, and some toasted sesame seeds.

 
 
 

Mix it all together and you have this incredibly flavorful and vibrant garnish for the soup! I love all of the flavors in this salad.

I think my favorite color is beet, too.

 
 
 

Check on that squash now. You’ll know it’s done when you can easily stick a butter knife into it and the skin starts to turn golden brown.

 
 
 

Scrape out all of that soft, butternutty goodness …

 
 
 

And toss it into your blender. Add some of the chicken stock to help it blend.

 
 
 

Give it a whirl until it’s silky smooth.

 
 
 

Pour it into your favorite soup pot along with a can of coconut milk.

 
 
 

Grate some ginger into the pot. If you still don’t have a Microplane, it’s not too late to get one!

 
 
 

Add the cinnamon and salt. (I think next time I’d halve the cinnamon and double the ginger, but that’s just my taste.)

 
 
 

Add more chicken stock until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

 
 
 

Stir it well and heat it to a low boil.

 
 
 

Ladle this gorgeous soup into some bowls, top with a couple spoonfuls of the salad and a drizzle of coconut milk. (Don’t be like me and photo bomb yourself. Unless you really want to.)

 
 
 

I LOVED this soup. It has such a unique flavor, combined with the salad. Please don’t make this without the salad! I think it really takes the soup to a whole new level. (The recipe for the Beet Slaw can be found in Julia’s site. She credits her friend Jason for finding it on a paleo website.)

 
 
 

Thanks again, Julia (and Jason), for a great cleansing-between-rich-meals recipe for the holidays!

Be sure to check out Julia’s Tasty Kitchen Recipe Box as well as her blog, The Roasted Root, for more tasty, nourishing recipes!

 
 

Printable Recipe

 
 
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Be sure to check out Natalie’s own beautiful food blog, Perrys’ Plate, where you can see her growing collection of lovely recipes. There’s always something new to see there. Go visit now!