Soup photography, for those of you who are not food bloggers or instagramers, is a challenge in and of itself. A simple bowl of soup is fated to look boring, like a big, bland circle in the photograph.
Garnishes, evidently, are the secret to making a bowl of soup appear texturally-dynamic in a photograph. For this photo, I raided my pantry for toppings with the purpose of photography. The combination of chives, pumpkin seeds, and splashes of tamari turned out not only highly photogenic, but highly complimentary to the soup. The pumpkin seeds add crunch, chives add brightness, and the tamari works beautifully with the spicy ginger and sweet butternut.
I’ve been reaching for easy soup and salad meals recently. My favorite combination is pairing this soup with a green salad and my Five Spice Lamb Meatballs. The spice blend in the meatballs is perfect with the meatballs. I’ve also added the meatballs right into the soup, for a one-bowl meal.
Click here for the Five Spice Meatballs recipe.
For another protein boost, feel free to add a couple scoops of grassfed collagen protein, available here. I take a daily dose of collagen, either in soup or coffee or a smoothie. My skin is more radiant than ever, which I credit to my two years of regular collagen intake, as well as an anti-inflammatory diet and plant-based skincare.
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 Tbs. coconut oil
- ½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 generous cups chopped butternut squash
- 1 bosc pear, core removed and chopped
- 2 cups broth of choice, plus more if necessary
- 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tsp. tamari sauce or coconut aminos (a soy-free alternative available here)
- Freshly ground pepper and unrefined salt, to taste
- Optional garnishes:
- Chopped chives
- Pepitas
- Splashes of tamari sauce
- In a pot, saute the onion in the coconut oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and cook briefly.
- Add all remaining ingredients, except for the salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is fork-tender.
- I love using an immersion blender to quickly puree the soup right in the pot. Alternatively, use a blender to puree the soup (I love my Ninja blender). If the soup is too thick, add a splash of broth. Season with salt and pepper.
The directions for ginger squash soup say to add ginger and garlic. The ingredients list does not contain garlic. How much garlic is required?
My mistake, thank you for letting me know! I’ve corrected that. It’s 1 or 2 cloves, to your preference.
Fantasticly yummy soup! I used 1 clove of garlic, minced.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It makes my day when I hear that you make the recipe the same day I post it 🙂
Yummy! This Butternut, Ginger, and Pear Soup is Looks really Great! This looks delicious and I Like it! thanks for share…
The soup is out of this world! One minced garlic clove was used.