I’ve been making loads of soup over the past few months. Why? Because soup is a nutritional powerhouse that is simple to make and super tasty. What  a fabulous way to ensure you are getting a healthy variety of fresh veggies and also consuming healing bone broth! Yay for soup!

This holds especially true if you’re struggling to get veggies into your child’s diet (or your own for that matter).  Some weeks are busier than others but I my aim is to always have a blended soup on hand. Each meal, I mix homemade soup with my children’s protein to ensure they’re getting ample amount of veggies, bone broth and healthy fats. I often add some tablespoons of grass fed collagen and a good blob of coconut oil before blending.

I tend to make blended soups nice and thick and that makes it incredibly easy to incorporate into meals. When added to meats, the soup acts as a thick creamy sauce.  My kids find it easy to eat their “soup” this way and I love that they’re getting a ton of needed nutrients for their growing bodies.

Here’s a recipe that sees heavy rotation in our house. Feel free to add more water/bone broth to create a thinner consistency.

No matter how you enjoy this soup, sit back and feel good about your choice!

Creamy Butternut Squash Instant Pot Soup 

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1/2 large butternut squash, cubed
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt, or to taste
• 3 cups bone broth
• 2 tbsp-1/4 cup coconut oil (If you are trying to boost your healthy fat consumption)
• 2-3 tbsp grass fed collagen (Optional for added protein)
• Fresh chopped herbs, cracked pepper, pumpkin seeds for garnish (Optional)

Method

1. Plug in the Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” function.
2. Add your fat of choice, onions, carrots and celery to the pot and sauté until they begin to soften and turn translucent.  Add a generous pinch of unrefined salt to bring out flavours and release juices
3. Once the veggies are soft, add the garlic, stir and cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
4. Add the bay leafs and spices and combine well.
5. Add the squash to the pot
6. Pour in the broth and gently stir to combine.
7. Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button to stop the sauté mode.
8. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock the lid.  Twist the steam release handle on the lid to “Sealing”. 
9. Press the “manual” button to switch the cooking mode.  Set the cooking time for 10 minutes.  Note that the soup will be cooking for longer than ten minutes as it takes time for the pressure cooker to reach desired pressure.  The ten minute timer will start once proper pressure is achieved.
10. Once the soup is done cooking the Instant Pot will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” mode and will signal done with beeps.  Once you hear the beeps, the soup has cooked for the full ten minutes at full pressure. Let the soup remain in the “Keep Warm” mode for 10 minutes and then press “Cancel.”
11. Twist the steam release handle on the lid to “Venting”.  I always put on my oven mitt as a precaution as a small amount of steam will escape from the venting hole.
12. Once the pressure has released, carefully open the Instant Pot.
13. Taste for seasoning.  Add more unrefined salt (if needed)
14. Add in collagen powder, if using, to add extra protein and optional coconut oil and stir well.
15. Carefully transfer soup in batches to a high speed blender and process until desired consistency or, alternatively, use an immersion blender to process.
16. Ladle soup into bowls and add garnish of choice.
17. Enjoy!