Ah summer… I think it’s everyone’s favourite month. (At least mine as it’s the sunniest/warmest time in Canada.) I was looking around the freezer the other day and wanted to make up something quick and healthy and I saw I had some bags of frozen butternut squash and some fresh corn. I decided to put it together with onions and broth and make a soup out of it, but it wasn’t thick enough so I thought, hey why don’t I try some white beans to add some bulk and cream it up? It turned out to be a great idea and a totally delicious combination. This soup doesn’t need any butter or cream to make it creamy and delicious, the white beans work perfectly. It also needs very little seasoning since it’s so sweet naturally from the sweet corn.
In fact you could even eat this soup without any of the seasonings at all, it would be a great soup for fussy children, or even a good choice for toddlers. Everyone knows children enjoy soft naturally sweet foods and butternut squash and corn is a favourite.
I decided to kick things up a bit with some smoked paprika which added a delicious smokey flavour to the soup. Smoked paprika isn’t of the spicy variety, but sweet so it adds some nice flavour without being spicy.
Summer sweet corn goes really well in almost any dish. It’s a great topping for salads, adds natural sweetness to soups and is great on it’s own, no seasonings required.
Give this soup a try! It’s super easy (especially if you have frozen squash already, available at most health food stores.)
Fat Free Vegan Summer Harvest Soup (Butternut Squash Sweet Corn and White Bean Soup)
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
4 cups/1 qt./946 mL vegetable broth (homemade or low sodium)
1 large sweet onion, diced (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla)
5 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups/25 oz./1.5 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed (fresh or frozen)
2 1/2 cups sweet corn (fresh, frozen or canned – no sodium)
16 oz./453 g can white beans or chickpeas, drained
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or any other seasoning of choice)
3/4 tsp Herbamare or salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Directions:
- Saute onions and garlic in a large pot over medium heat in 1/2 cup of vegetable broth until soft 5-6 minutes.
- Add squash, corn and beans and remaining broth and cover. Cook until squash is tender.
- Carefully spoon mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour mixture back into pot, add seasonings and mix thoroughly. Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired.
What do you think of this summer soup? Have you ever tried smoked paprika before?
I have been trying to copy a 3 Sisters soup recipe served at a local vegetarian diner-and this recipe was almost a perfect match in taste. It was VERY good as is, but since I wanted it just like what I had been paying for, I ended up adding approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of a can of Lite Coconut Milk to match the creaminess and added some fresh cilantro. And wow, it was a perfect match!!!! Absolutely wonderful!
I made this a couple of days ago. It turned out so delicious (so I was told) – and it couldn’t have been any easier!
I made a slightly larger batch and so added extra beans and some cauliflower – but without the cauliflower, I know it would be just as tasty:)
I have made this three times now and love it. This time I added about a cup and a half of fresh cauliflower and a half cup of lima beans to up the vegetable quotient and it is even better. To compensate for the extra veggies I added and extra half cup of water. When I heat it up individually I add a square of frozen spinach before I heat it in the microwave. Sometimes I add extra beans (chickpeas, black beans or white beans) before heating. Delicious and oh, so healthy!
Hi Veronica! I made this a few weeks back, and I have shared it with every soup-lover I know. It was FANTASTIC. I’ve blogged you here:http://www.veganiseasy.com/?p=169, and added you to my favorite recipe resources. Thanks for a great recipe – you’ve gone in The Binder to be put in regular rotation!
I tried the recipe this weekend with my husband. It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I loved the natural sweetness of this dish. I will definitely make this dish again. I don’t always go for the recipes like vegan baked goods or anything that’s tofu heavy, but for a cooked meal, I love the high-nutrient, simple, low-fat, Fuhrman-style recipes like this one–pure genius,
Thanks, Veronica 🙂 I
Oh I’m so glad you liked it. I’m sure anyone would like this soup, it has such a great flavour to it from the squash and corn, and the white beans make it nice and creamy. I’ve made it twice now and both times it turned out really well too. 🙂
This looks similar to the puréed soups I’ve been eating on a recent detox (less the beans.) About to go into maintenance mode, so I will definitely try it. It looks delicious and has three of my favorite veggies too. I’m also eager to try the smoked paprika, lately I seem to run into a lot of recipes that use it.
I love smoked paprika, that and roasted cumin I enjoy finding ways to add it to recipes. 🙂
Veronica’s THREE SISTERS Soup! 🙂
Veronica, did you realize that your soup recipe contains corn, beans and squash–“the three sisters” that the Native Americans grew together and ate together?
Lol i know. But they definitely didnt grow white beans :p it is a good combo though.
This sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it, but I can’t seem to find smoked paprika. I’ve looked for it in stores before but can only find sweet paprika. Is it perhaps known by another name other than smoked? Thanks.
It’s also called Smoked Spanish Paprika. You can get it at ethnic markets, Whole Foods, Walmart and many other grocery stores. McCormick makes one that geocery stores and Walmart sell and Whole Foods and ethnic/Indian markets have smoked paprika in red rectangular tins. click this link for what the containers can look like http://www.google.ca/search?q=smoked+paprika&hl=en&client=safari&prmd=imvnse&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yfHYT-K1MYe16gGw_tGeAw&ved=0CIIBELAE&biw=320&bih=417#p=0
It’s also available on Amazon. If you live in the USA and there are specialty items you cannot find, just get it on Amazon and find the one with free or the cheapest shipping. Even though we’re in Canada we pay for Amazon prime so we get free shipping on most items and just drive across the border to get it.
Thanks so very much for all of the good information, Chef Vernonica. It is greatly appreciated.