Fifteen minute prep, twenty-nine minutes in the pressure cooker, lunch all week…priceless. It can be tricky to find a recipe that makes enough food, holds its flavor perfectly for days, and can be made in just minutes.
This is the ultimate meal prep dish.
You guys know I’m a huge fan of cooking seasonally so in the fall and winter months, I cook with a lot of winter squash. I love it puréed, as soups, cubed and baked, roasted, and caramelized. BUT this recipe is a home run because of the FRESH addition of ginger and turmeric. There’s also a guest appearance by a not so likely ingredient: fennel.
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is one of my favorite foods. It can easily be sweetened with a bit of maple syrup and cinnamon or take on a savory role (like this bisque) with spicier notes like ginger, turmeric, and chili powder.
Naturally high in Vitamin A, butternut squash is another food great for the immune system, eye health, and the nervous system. It’s easy to find and very versatile, which makes it a great winter staple.
Ginger
Ginger has been around for centuries, used by ancient cultures for its medicinal properties and “spiritual cleansing” beliefs. Today, ginger still contains dozens of health benefits from helping to alleviate pain, support immune system health, and fighting infections.
One practice to easily incorporate into a daily routine is to drink ginger tea.
Turmeric
Is there anything turmeric can’t do? Curcumin, the main active component in turmeric, has taken the world by storm and many people are supplementing with it, but do you know why? The better question may be, why not? It’s anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antioxidant, and an anti-depressant. Pretty cool, right?
It’s also been found to fight against many types of cancers including: prostate, skin, colon, mouth, esophageal, lung, stomach, pancreatic, liver, and breast cancer.
In fact, it’s one of the most common supplements I sell through my practice.
Fennel
Fennel is considered to be both a vegetable and an herb because of its superpower qualities and healing powers.
It’s commonly used to aid in digestion, but fennel also has anti-cancer properties and is highly anti-inflammatory as well.
I love fennel but have found that it’s a hard ingredient to use because its flavor is so strong. It meshes so well with butternut squash that I knew it had to be included in this recipe! It’s a great addition to many other soups, as well.
Instant Pot: Fresh Turmeric & Ginger Butternut Squash Bisque
The fresh ginger and turmeric give this bisque such an amazing flavor profile and it’s so good for the immune system, too!
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, and diced
- 2 small heads of fennel, stems removed and chopped
- 1 large knob of fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 large knobs of turmeric, peeled
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups of organic vegetable broth
- 1 package of bacon, cooked
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven broiler. Place chopped fennel on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Broil for 10 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Add the following ingredients to your pressure cooker: cubed squash, broiled fennel, ginger, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, and broth. Make sure the pressure release valve on the top of the lid is pushed towards the back so that steam will build and not escape. Press the “soup” option (which will cook for 29 minutes once the pressure builds) and let it do its thing! Once the timer goes off, allow your pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for at least 10 minutes before manually flipping the vent open. Be careful – this steam will be hot!
- Allow the squash mixture to cool a bit prior to the next step.
- In the meantime, whisk together the Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp of water, and the chili powder in a small bowl.
- In the pressure cooker pot itself, use an immersion blender to blend the mixture into a pureé.
- Pour the bisque into a bowl. Crumble one piece of bacon on top and swirl the yogurt cream around the bacon. Enjoy!
Notes
For a vegetarian option, use pumpkin seeds as a topping instead of bacon!
