Our Blog: A Collection of Resources: October 5, 2023
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A cozy bowl of warm, savory goodness helps to warm us up from the inside out. Soups are also a great way to share excellent nutrients with our family to set them up for success during cold and flu season.
Our Winter Squash Soup* is as simple as it comes. It’s a great menu option for children ages 3 and up to encourage them to eat a wide variety of vegetables, even in soup form! Butternut squash has a naturally sweet, nutty taste and is loaded with vitamin A, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.
This recipe serves six people and only take about 35 minutes from start to finish. And most of the time, the oven is doing the work for you. Grab this stuff and let’s get started:
- 32 oz. butternut squash, frozen puree, defrosted
- 8 oz. vegetable stock
- ¾ cup low-fat milk
- ⅛ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp. butter
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the squash puree and vegetable stock in a large oven-safe pot.
If you have children who are eager to help in the kitchen, have them add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter. Mix well until it’s all combined evenly.
Heat your soup base in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Now, add the milk to a small mixing bowl. Gradually add 1 cup of the hot soup to the bowl to warm the milk slowly. Blend the mixture into the soup until smooth and creamy.
You can serve Winter Squash Soup with a simple side salad or piece of crusty whole wheat bread to soak up all the “gourdness” in your bowl. Save the recipe here to add it to future menus. Enjoy!
*This recipe was designed to help kids ages 3 and up learn to eat and enjoy a wide variety of vegetables. This recipe is veggie-forward and approved by the Partnership for a Healthier America to meet the Veggies Early & Often guidelines. Approved 9/7/2023.
About the Author
Nicole Spain, MS, RDN
Childhood nutrition has been Nicole’s passion for more than 20 years. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a Master of Science (MS) in Nutrition and Dietetics from Northern Illinois University. During her career with Learning Care Group (LCG), Nicole has assisted with developing and implementing the company’s proprietary Grow Fit program. Through her curated menus, the healthy lifestyle initiative positively impacts approximately 100,000 children daily in LCG’s 1,050+ schools. She aided in the rollout of the Veggies Early & Often campaign in 2021 and helped LCG be recognized as the 2017 Partner of the Year by the Partnership for a Healthier America. Since 2004, she’s also been an active Junior League member and developed the Kids in the Kitchen program for their Detroit and Milwaukee chapters. Nicole and her husband, John, have three children. In her spare time, Nicole competes on a rowing team with the Detroit Boat Club Crew.
