Move over pumpkin, there’s a new gourd in town! Between Halloween and Thanksgiving, pumpkins get SO much attention. They’re on every front porch, and those jack-o-lantern faces are just laughing at the other poor neglected gourds. They get to shine AGAIN at Thanksgiving in soufflés and pies on every table in this country. But butternut squash plays second fiddle to no one! Its smooth creamy texture and light flavor make it a great base for soups (especially butternut squash soup with bacon!), both sweet and savory, it holds its own cubed and roasted, baked and stuffed, and it’s flexible enough to be used in casseroles, pies, ravioli and muffins.
On top of that, it’s a great source of potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and caretenoids.
It’s also extremely nourishing for many conditions:
- Proper hydration: Adequate potassium is necessary to ensure proper hydration of the cells and prevent muscle spasms and cramping.
- Osteoporosis: Vitamin B6 is responsible for maintaining strong healthy bones
- High Blood Pressure: Potassium is responsible for regulating blood pressure.
- Immune system support: Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and necessary for the regulation of the immune system, especially during active infections.
- Dry eye/night blindness/macular degeneration/cataracts: That orange hue is your dead giveaway that butternut squash is full of caretenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin, which are responsible for maintaining eye health and preventing macular degeneration and cataracts.
- Diabetes: The starch in butternut squash, made in large part of pectin, has been shown to improve glucose tolerance in non-insulin dependent diabetics.
- Depression: Vitamin B6 plays a crucial role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepiniphrine as well as myelin formation.
- Some people may experience a food sensitivity with butternut squash, which is often also linked to watermelon, cucumber, zucchini, and pumpkin (take issue if you’ve got a ragweed allergy as these allergies may be related). Also, the sticky skin can lead to contact dermatitis with some people, so watch for any sensitivities.
- Butternut squash is also moderately high in oxalates (the preceptor for oxalate crystals), so watch out if you have any history or indications of kidney stones.
If either of this is a concern, butternut squash may not be right for you. Know your body!
Special note, this is a vegetable that is very important to buy organic. Butternut squash is EXCELLENT at absorbing toxic chemicals along with nutrients from the soil. For this reason, farmers often use squash in between food crop rotations as a means to improve soil quality. To ensure you are not eating a toxic sponge, be sure to get your squash from an organic source to help ensure the lowest toxic dose from good quality soil.
Butternut squash bacon soup
- 2 small or 1 large squash
- 3 slices bacon (preferably from pastured pork)
- 24 oz. coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Prepare bacon and set aside.
- Cut the squash in half and microwave on high for 25 minutes.
- Carefully take squash out of microwave (it will be EXTREMELY hot) and scoop out and discard the seeds and stringy “guts”.
- Scoop out the remaining flesh and place in a large soup pot.
- Add remaining ingredients, turn burner to medium and stir occasionally for 10 minutes.
- Blend mixture with immersion blender or place in regular blender in batches and mix until creamy.
- Place soup into bowls and sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Dig in and enjoy!
What’s your favorite winter squash recipe? Let us know!