Kabocha, Kale, & Sesame Soup recipe

— by Seanna Thomas

Soup can be so incredibly nutritious, colourful and satisfying, not to mention delicious and comforting. Part of me screams inside at the thought of winter being here, but the rest of me is having a little party inside because of soup. I love the idea of wearing a warm and cozy sweater, sitting in front of a fireplace, sipping on a delicious oversized mug of soup.

Can you picture it?

I can, but I don’t have a fireplace. But if I close my eyes, really tight, I imagine I’m in a chalet somewhere, it’s chilly outside and I’m all good because I’ve got my soup.

Wondering what kabocha squash is? You’ve probably seen it at your grocery store. It’s a hearty, slightly nutty Asian variety of pumpkin. This way I’m getting away with making a pumpkin soup without making everything pumpkin – pumpkin season is over, right?

Get your dose of vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium, all for fewer calories than you’ll find in butternut squash.

Ingredients (Serves 8-10)

• 1 tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 1 large white onion, peeled & chopped
• 1 medium kabocha squash, peeled & chopped
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce or chili flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste
• 5-6 cups broth
• 2 cups kale leaves, destemmed, cleaned & chopped

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, sweat onions in oil until soft.
2. Add entire chunked squash. If you bought a massive one, just add half or three-quarters. The beauty of this soup is you can’t mess it up. Toss with onions, add chili garlic sauce, and garlic and let cook for five minutes.
3. Now that your house smells amazing, add the broth. Again, if you like a thinner soup, add more broth. If you like your soup thicker, a little less. 
4. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Let cook 10 minutes, until squash is completely soft. Add sesame oil.
5. Take pot off heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it’s completely smooth.
6. Add kale. Give the blender a few pulses to break the kale pieces into smaller bits.
7. Place back on the stove and add salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes to wilt the kale.
8. Top with a drizzle of spicy sesame oil and sesame seeds and go to your happy place.

Nutrition Info

• Calories: 100
• Fat: 3.7g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 290mg
• Potassium: 113mg
• Fibre: 3g
• Sugar: 6g
• Protein: 2.6g
• Vitamin A: 174%
• Vitamin C: 30%
• Calcium: 228%