Butternut Squash Soup With Roasted Chickpeas & Mushrooms

A recipe for easy butternut squash soup with crunchy roasted chickpeas and mushrooms — gluten-free, vegan and wholesome.

It's amazing how easy and delicious this recipe came out to be. Butternut squash soup on its own seemed a little plain, so I decided to add some crunch with roasted chickpeas.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• 1 large apple, peeled and chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the roasted chickpeas:

• 1.5 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the sautéed mushrooms:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 250 grams button mushrooms
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Add the onion, carrots, butternut squash and apple to the slow cooker. Pour the vegetable broth over all the ingredients. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the vegetables are soft.
2. Once the vegetables are cooked and soft, purée the soup using an immersion blender. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (You can instead carefully transfer the soup to a blender, in batches, and purée until smooth, then pour it back into the slow cooker and season.)
3. While the soup is cooking, make the roasted chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and pat dry with a towel, removing the skins by rolling them on the towel. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, cinnamon and salt, then toss with the chickpeas on a large baking sheet. Bake for 40–45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until crunchy.
4. While the chickpeas are in the oven, sauté the mushrooms — heat olive oil in a pan, add the chopped mushrooms, and sauté until soft. Season with salt and black pepper and cook through.
5. Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with the roasted chickpeas and sautéed mushrooms. Serve immediately.