Vegan Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash with Amaranth Soup

Vegan Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash with Amaranth Soup

I have discovered the wonders of Amaranth, an ancient grain high in protein, containing the essential amino acid, lycline. Amaranth is also high in Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, fiber and Vitamin E. It is also gluten-free, which is interesting because when you use it in soup, it thickens it up magically! So, amaranth is a good alternative to flour as a thickener! Amaranth=soup magic!

I had some butternut squash to use up, so I roasted it late last night for 30 minutes with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a 400 degree oven. (I am so grateful that Trader Joe's does all the hard work and cuts up the butternut squash for me and puts it in a convenient bag for me to buy!). I also had two small sweet potatoes (also from Trader Joe's) to use up so I threw them in the oven to cook while the butternut squash was getting nice and roasty! Today, I was wondering what to do with the cooked veggies, so I decided to make a soup out of them, a combo of two of my favorites: butternut squash soup meets sweet potato soup.

What I did:

I started by sautéing half a chopped onion in a tablespoon of coconut oil on medium heat. Then I added three cloves of minced garlic. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and let the onions soften. I threw in the butternut squash and peeled the sweet potatoes and cut them up and added them to the pot. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, a dash of cinnamon and cayenne pepper for some background heat. Then I added a carton of vegetable broth and let it all come up to a boil. I added two fresh sage leaves. I was watching that simmer together and I decided to add half of a cup of amaranth. I wasn't sure what to expect since this was my first time using it, but I decided to experiment, nonetheless! I let that simmer for 20-25 minutes and then I used my immersion hand blender and blended the soup up until it was nice and thick. I simmered that for an additional 10 minutes until the amaranth seemed to be cooked and low and behold the thickening power of amaranth was awakened and all of a sudden the soup turned into a nice, thick, hearty consistency, worthy of bread dunking! I tasted it and added more salt and pepper.


Eating this Vegan Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash with Amaranth Soup was like eating a bowl full of Autumn. It was warming and comforting and soothing all at once. The thick stew-like consistency was very hearty and the amaranth was reminiscent of the texture of grits--almost. The amaranth added a nice nutty background and I have to say I was quite pleased with how this soup turned out. I garnished it with a few sprigs of cilantro and a sprinkling of slivered almonds (which you can omit if you have a nut allergy, of course).  I also treated myself to a piece of nice sour dough baguette to accompany my Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash with Amaranth Soup. I don't know which was a bigger treat, though, the bread--I hardly get to eat bread--or the soup!

I will definitely be experimenting with amaranth more and more because it is a yummy, nutritional addition to my repertoire of meals.