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Soothing Ginger, Squash & Apple Soup

Background info: The humble squash has played a vital part in the culture and harvest-time celebrations of the Indigenous Peoples of North America (in fact, the word ‘squash’ comes from the Narragansett-Algonquin word ‘askutasquash’). Both squash and apples provide a rich source of vitamin C, with butternut squash in particular being high in vitamin A. Ginger, used for millennia in both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine, can help alleviate bloating and indigestion.
– Price-Pottenger
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Prep: 20 minutes / Cooking: 45 minutes / Yield: 6-8 servings
This soup is a wonderful way to celebrate the fall harvest. It goes well with fish, poultry, or pork, and cooked, leafy greens or cole slaw. For best results, you want a really ripe squash.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 teaspoons unrefined coconut oil, clarified butter, or ghee
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced (about ⅔ cup)
- 1 teaspoon unrefined, mineral-rich sea salt (such as Celtic)
- 1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger root or bottled ginger juice
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger
- 4 cups peeled and cubed winter squash: kabocha, Hokaido, buttercup, butternut, sweet dumpling, or delicata
- 2 cups tart or tart-sweet apples (about 1 pound), cored, peeled, and chopped: pink lady, gala, Fuji, or braeburn
- 1 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 2 to 3 cups homemade or preservative-free chicken broth, or water
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, optional
- ½ cup full-fat, thoroughly blended, preservative-free coconut milk
- ¼ cup finely minced fresh fennel fronds, parsley leaves, or chives (garnish)
Directions
- Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salt; stir until tender and almost translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add squash, apples, cider or juice, and broth or water. Cover, bring to low boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes, until tender. Wash, spin dry, and chop garnish and set aside.
- Purée soup with coconut milk using an immersion blender or in 3 batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add additional liquid as needed, a little at a time. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Return soup to saucepan and warm gently without boiling. Ladle into bowls, garnish, and serve. Use leftovers within 4 days or freeze.
Variations
Soothing Ginger, Squash & Orange Soup: Replace apple and apple juice with peeled, seeded, and sectioned orange with membranes removed, and orange juice.
Soothing Ginger, Squash & Pear Soup: Replace apple and juice with pear and pear nectar.
Reprinted with permission from The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook by Rachel Albert-Matesz and Don Matesz (Planetary Press, 2004).
Check out other Rachel Albert recipes:
Steak with Cumin and Mustard Rub
Roasted Onion, Sweet Pepper & Salad Greens with Spice-Rubbed Steak
Published in the Price-Pottenger Journal of Health & Healing
Fall 2013 | Volume 37, Number 3
Copyright © 2013 Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Inc.®
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