Serves: 2 cups
Prep time: 30 minutes

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
• 2 cups chopped butternut squash (I chop it into small rectangles and sometimes buy the precut pack if i’m pressed for time)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup red onion)
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, sliced
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast (plus more for a cheesier flavor)
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp chili sauce (scale back if sensitive to spice)
• 2 tsp salt plus more to taste
• Freshly ground pepper
• Banza chickpeas pasta (or pasta of choice and as needed)

What you’ll want to do:

• Pressure cook the cauliflower florets, butternut squash and vegetable broth (I use my Instant Pot and pressure cooked on high for 4 minutes).
• While the vegetables are cooking, chop and prepare your other ingredients.
• Once cooked, blend the vegetables in your blender (I use my trusty old Nutribullet). I used about 1 cup of the remaining broth with the cooked vegetables.
• Heat the oil in a deep skillet or pot and add onion, garlic and jalapeño. Add a pinch of salt here and let this cook for a few minutes until the raw smell disappears.
• On medium flame, add the blended cauliflower and squash and let this boil for a few minutes. Add the water to thin it out.
• Stir in the coconut milk and continue boiling.
• Add the paprika, nutritional yeast, cayanne pepper, salt and pepper.
• Finally add the chili sauce and top with cooked pasta to make it a hearty and filling meal.

Recipe Musings: I very accidentally made this soup while actually attempting to make something completely different, but it was a happy accident! Topped with my favorite chickpeas pasta, it turned out to be the perfect winter soup – comforting, spicy and packed with seasonal ingredients.