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!
Just made this soup, added a little pepper for the hubby and it is a new favourite! Great quick meal for a fall weeknight 🙂
Hey Tori, quick question. I know you mentioned that this soup was low calorie, but about how many calories would you say per serving? I’m trying to watch my weight and I love this soup but I need to know for the purposes of staying on my diet and so that I refrain from overdoing it
served it to big group with home made loquat chutney, toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and goat yogurt (not vegan)….it was exquisite…with muffins and salad…..yum thanks
Healthy and tasty meal Nancy! Glad you enjoyed!
This looks delicious and easy to make. Love the idea of eating it with brown rice. Your blog is phenomenal, so glad i found it!
Thanks V, welcome!
I added some lime juice and used parsley instead of spinach, it’s going up there on the list of my favourite autumn soups!
Tori,
This is absolutely the best soup I’ve made in ages. I served it at a luncheon for 18 ladies (easily doubled) and it was by far the most popular menu item! I combined vegetable stock with the water, which added a really nice depth of flavor. Fortunately, I set some aside for my family and we have enjoyed it for 2 days. This soup will appear on many of my Autumn menus. Thank you!
So happy you liked it Margie! I really love the spices in this soup.
Thank you for another stunning recipe, Tory! I’m preparing a menu for a Middle Eastern-themed luncheon and this is a perfect fit!
Fantastic!
Love the simplicity of this recipe. It was a little bland for me but still good. I used 1 quart vegetable stock and 1 of water. Next time I may try adding some garlic.
Mine looks a little different but it was still tasty. We served it over brown rice. We will definitely make it again.
Sounds like a great soup only question is at the end do you remove the skin of the squash?? Also how do you cube the hard shell?
Abbe here is a complete tutorial explaining everything you need to know about preparing butternut squash: http://theshiksa.com/2012/10/03/all-about-butternut-squash-how-to-peel-seed-slice-and-prepare/