Although Spring is officially here, the days are not quite hot yet. Some warm sunny days sprinkled with some cooler rainy days. Plus if you’re market is anything like mine, you’re still going to find plenty of winter squashes and root veggies on display.

Let’s take advantage of the transition from winter to spring by continuing to enjoy our warming, health boosting soups.

Roasted squashes and root veggies are the perfect comfort food and make an incredibly delicious and easy base to a vegetable soup. Not only are these veggies full of “good-for-you” fiber and phytonutrients, but when you combine them with some heavy hitting spices, you’ve got a powerful cancer-fighting, immune-boosting meal to enjoy!

Spiced Vegetable Soup

Serves 8 (Recipe adapted from The Longevity Kitchen, by Rebecca Katz)

Ingredients

• 1 large winter squash (Kabocha, Pumpkin, or the like), cut into quarters & seeds removed
• 3 large carrots, peeled & cut into cubes
• 1 large parsnip, peeled & cut into cubes
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled & minced
• 6-8 cups broth (veggie or bone broth)
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

Step 1: Heat oven to 400F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Step 2: In a small bowl combine 3 Tbsp of olive oil with 1/4 tsp sea salt and the rest of the spices (except thyme). Stir until well combined.

Step 3: Toss the carrots and parsnips with 1/2 the spice mixture and drizzle the remaining 1/2 over the squash. I use my hands to make sure the veggies are well coated. Place each quarter of the squash in each of the corners of your baking sheet. Place the carrots and parsnips in the middle (in a single layer). Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes (until tender).

Step 4: Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil in a medium skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp salt plus the thyme, garlic, and fresh ginger. Saute until fragrant; less than 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 5: Once veggies have finished roasting and cooled enough to be handled, scoop the insides of the squash into a bowl and combine with all the other veggies.

Step 6: In a blender, combine 1/3 of the broth + 1/3 of the veggies and blend until smooth. Transfer to a soup pot over low heat and repeat until all the veggies are blended. Or you can keep it simple by using an immersion blender directly in the soup pot. Stir in more broth as desired to create your perfect consistency.

I like adding a spritz of lemon juice to each bowl, right before serving. And you can easily make it a meal by combining the soup with some crunchy whole grain bread and a green salad.

Give it a try and let me know what you think?!