Squash and Sweet Potato Sides: Butternut Soup, Chipotle Acorn Squash and a Kale Hash

Three ways to cook squash and sweet potato, all paleo and all done inside 45 minutes: a butternut squash soup spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and blended smooth, acorn squash and sweet potato roasted with orange juice, maple and chipotle, and a sweet potato and kale hash cooked in one pan. Each works as a side, and the soup and hash stand on their own as a light meal.

These three used to be separate pages on this site. They are together here because they use the same vegetables and suit the same cooler months.

Recipe	Time	Serves	Best as
Butternut squash soup	35 minutes	4	Starter or light meal
Orange chipotle acorn squash and sweet potato	45 minutes	4	Side for roast meat or fish
Sweet potato and kale hash	25 minutes	2 to 3	Breakfast or side

Butternut Squash Soup

Dairy-free, with coconut oil instead of butter and no cream. The squash gives it the body.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups (1 litre) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir to coat.
3. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the squash is tender.
4. Blend until smooth with a stick blender, or in batches in a jug blender with the lid vented. Taste, season again and serve hot.

Check the stock label if you are cooking strictly paleo. Some stock powders and cubes contain wheat, sugar or soy.

Orange Chipotle Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato

Sweet from the orange juice and maple, with a slow heat from the chipotle.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chilli
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking tray with foil and spray it well with olive oil.
2. Halve the acorn squash, scoop out the seeds and cut it into 1 cm (1/2 inch) wedges. Cut the sweet potato into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes.
3. Toss the squash and sweet potato in a large bowl with the orange juice, chipotle and maple syrup. Spread in a single layer on the tray and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn everything over and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until browned at the edges. Serve warm.

Acorn squash skin softens enough to eat once roasted, so there is no need to peel it. Butternut or Kent pumpkin work in its place.

Sweet Potato and Kale Hash

A one-pan hash. Top it with a fried egg to turn it into breakfast.

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3)

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sweet potato and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until it starts to soften and brown.
3. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent.
4. Stir in the kale, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes more, until the kale has wilted. Serve hot.

Cut the sweet potato into even 1.5 cm cubes so it cooks at the same rate, and leave it alone for a minute or two at a time so it browns rather than steams.

Are sweet potatoes paleo?

Yes. Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable rather than a grain or legume, so they are a staple of paleo cooking. Pumpkin and the other winter squashes are paleo for the same reason. Ordinary white potatoes are the ones some paleo eaters leave out.

Can I make these ahead?

The soup is the best one to make ahead: it keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days and freezes well for a couple of months. The roasted squash and the hash both reheat well in a hot oven or frying pan within 3 days, although the roasted edges soften a little.

What can I use instead of acorn squash?

Butternut squash, Kent pumpkin or Jap pumpkin all roast the same way with the same flavourings. Butternut needs peeling, since its skin stays tough. Cut the pieces to the same size as the sweet potato so everything finishes at once.

What goes with these sides?

The roasted squash suits roast chicken, lamb or baked fish, and any of these sit alongside the recipes in our easy paleo dinners. For a related question, see how much a sweet potato weighs.