A Magical Vegan Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup Recipe.

An energising, immunity boosting potion. Comfortingly autumnal, kind to the planet, and healthy.

4 min readSep 21, 2020

This recipe ticks all the boxes. It’s so full of goodness. Bursting with vitamins A and C. Perfect for the colder months, especially during Samhain. Completely vegan. All the ingredients are affordable and accessible. Best of all, it’s the perfect balance between a health food and a comfort food, with no compromises on either side.

This soup is a mood, energy, and immune system booster in a bowl. If you’re interested in witchcraft (or just a health nut), here’s a list of components that makes it more of a potion than a soup:

Sweet potatoes: Comforting and sweet. High in fibre and antioxidants.

Butternut squash or pumpkin: This earthy, winter veggie is sustaining and mood boosting with aphrodisiac qualities.

Carrots: Full of vitamin A, fibre, carotene, and and antioxidants and said to boost potency.

Onion: Cleansing and detoxing.

Paprika: This smoky healing spice works wonders for heart and digestive health as well as hair and skin quality.

Thyme: An aromatic herb that is gentle and cleansing and packed with nutrients.

Black pepper: An antioxidant and anti-inflammatory spice that boosts the immune system and can improve digestive health.

Garlic: The ultimate detoxifying ingredient that fights infections and diseases.

Ginger: A soothing spice that aids digestive and inflammatory pain.

Cumin: Rich in iron with medicinal benefits for cognitive functioning, digestive health, the immune system, and lowering cholesterol.

Nutmeg: Beneficial in terms of blood circulation, sleep, pain relief, skin clarity, soothing inflammation, and fighting diseases.

Pumpkin seeds: For extra protein and healthy fats. Loaded with zinc, magnesium, copper and antioxidants to protect the heart.

The ingredient measurement sizes are very forgiving so take the ones I’ve given as a rough guide. It’s easy to double everything for more servings or half everything for less. You can also add extra or less of certain ingredients if you love of hate them. I love spice so I was generous with the paprika so feel free to reduce the amount in yours. This recipe is very customisable, especially when it comes to the spices.

Ingredients:

For 6–8 servings

1 and 1/2 large sweet potatoes
1 medium butternut squash.
One large (or two smaller) carrots
1 brown onion
250mls of coconut cream (can be substituted with soy milk for a thinner consistency)
2 handfuls of red lentils
2 vegetable stock cubes
2 teaspoons of sunflower oil (vegetable or olive oil should also work fine)
2 teaspoons of paprika
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 teaspoons of garlic granules (or use fresh garlic cloves)
1 teaspoon of ground ginger (or use an inch of fresh ginger.
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of thyme
2 teaspoons of black pepper
(Optional) Pumpkin seeds for sprinkling

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots into cubes. Place them in a deep dish baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and toss with the thyme, 1 teaspoon of the paprika, 1 teaspoon of the black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the garlic granules. Bake for 30 minutes to soften slightly.
Cook the red lentils in a small pan/boiling pot. Cover with water and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes
Prepare the vegetable stock by mixing 240 millilitres of boiling water with the 2 stock cubes.
Preheat some oil in a large boiling pot on a medium heat. Dice the onion and place in the pot and stir for a few minutes. Season with the remaining spices (cumin, paprika, nutmeg, ginger, black pepper, and garlic). Stir then allow to simmer until the onions turn golden brown. Lower the heat and add the vegetable stock.
The carrot, sweet potato, and squash cubes should have cooked enough by now. Take them out the oven and add them to the pot with the onions and stock. Allow to simmer with a lid on the pan for about 30 minutes. This is an estimation. If in doubt, once you can easily pierce the sweet potato chunks with a fork, you’ll know it’s done.
Once the vegetables are soft, turn off the heat and add the coconut cream and cooked lentils to the pan. Stir well. Now is a good time to imbue the concoction with a spell, if you’re weird like that.
Blend and serve!
Optionally, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, black pepper and paprika or stir in any leftover coconut cream.