This soup is my new favorite! Butternut squash is everywhere it seems like…and currently, on super-sale in my grocery store.
…meaning, when this girl see veggies on sale, she buys a ton!
This Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup takes MINUTES to cook. When I say minutes, I mean less than 10 minutes. However, you could definitely make it on the stovetop or in your crock pot too (see recipe notes for directions!*).
I just can’t get enough of it! It’s currently my GO-TO for soups and is SO versatile! It’s a great starting point for pretty much any soup! I’m using it to make a low-carb Cheeseburger Chowder for lunches this week – stay tuned for that recipe! It’s totally kid-approved and super comforting!
This soup may be dairy free, but is still so creamy! If you can tolerate some cheese, it’s even better with some shredded cheddar sprinkled on top …or better yet, cheddar AND bacon! It would make a great creamy vegetable medley soup or a veggie-packed take on a Cheesy Broccoli. Seriously, the possibilities are endless!
Print Recipe
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup {w/stovetop option}
Once the soup is finished cooking, do a QR (quick release).
Allow the soup to cool slightly and then add the contents to a blender and puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender.
Return the soup to the instant pot if it needs to reheat some. I use the saute mode and it heats up in now time! If your soup is too thick for your liking, feel free to add a bit more broth at the end and whisk together!
Sprinkle with toppings of choice! My favorites are green onions and bacon!
Recipe Notes
*Stovetop directions:
Saute onions, potatoes, and squash in a large soup pot, over medium heat, for about 5-8 minutes or until soft.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are extremely tender and falling apart.
Puree with an immersion blender or allow the soup to cool and puree in a blender.
Crockpot directions:
Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Once the veggies have cooked until very tender, puree with an immersion blender or allow a bit of cooling and then puree in a blender.
** If using frozen squash, note that the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure will increase but a few minutes.
Skillets like this one are my favorites to meal prep for the week. They are so simple to cook up, you can use just about whatever ingredients that you have on hand, you can have them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, AND they’re delicious!
I’m a big fan of spices and flavor! There is no skimping in that department in my kitchen. This Tex-Mex Breakfast Skillet is packed with flavors of cumin, chili peppers, and charred veggies. You just can’t go wrong!
It’s the best when you have this meal prepped and all you have to do in the morning is reheat it. It’s so much better than other convenient, quick breakfasts out there. Plus, this one is good for you and will fuel you throughout your day!
If you want to take it to the next level, top this skillet with a fried egg! YUM!
In a large pan over medium heat, saute onions in avocado oil for 2-3 minutes until they've started to soften.
This step is totally optional!
While the onion cooks, char the bell pepper under the broiler for extra flavor. Slice the pepper in half, longways, remove the seeds and place on a sheet pan under the broiler for a few minutes or until desired charred amount of skin.
Chop the bell pepper (charred or not) and add to the softened onions.
Add in sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Stir together and cook for 5 minutes.
Add in the breakfast sausage and break it up as it begins to brown.
Add in all of the seasonings, as well as the nutritional yeast, if desired.
Continue to stir the veggies and break up the sausage until it's almost completely browned.
Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the squash and sweet potatoes are soft.
If desired, stir in a handful of chopped cilantro and 5-6 green onions.
Enjoy immediately, as is, or top with a fried egg!
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for quick breakfasts throughout the week!
Recipe Notes
* If you're sticking to keto and want to eliminate extra carbs, you can substitute 10 more oz of butternut squash for the sweet potatoes.
Any excuse to make food that is Mexican-inspired, I am down for! I recently purchased a huge bag of fresh hatch green chiles and have been finding different ways to use them beside your typical enchiladas, casseroles, or sauces.
If you don’t have access to fresh hatch green chiles, you could use the canned variety in this recipe. It won’t have as fresh of a taste, but it will still be delicious, nonetheless!
Try this Hatch Green Chile Chicken Salad on a sandwich, with some crackers, on it’s own, or in a wrap like I usually do!
Feel free to use more or less jalapenos in the recipe to adjust to your heat level. We like things on the spicy side, so I tend to go heavier on the jalaps.
In this recipe, I use Primal Kitchen’s Egg-free Mayo, due to my husband’s new egg intolerance. I was super surprised to find that it tastes so much like regular mayo! If you have an egg sensitivity, definitely check this variety of their mayo out!
Print Recipe
Hatch Green Chile Chicken Salad {Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
It’s the first day of summer and I’m in total soup mode over here! …what’s new though?
I’m always down for a bowl of soup and some avocado. I’m pretty sure I could live off of just that and be totally ok with it!
Besides a bunch of seasonings that you most likely have in your spice cabinet, this soup only has FOUR ingredients and only takes a little bit of chopping and stirring to bring it all together. It’s so easy and tastes oh-so-cozy.
All of the seasonings make it taste like it’s been simmering away all day long, but in reality, it’s done in less than 20 minutes on the stove.
Potato salad is just one of those dishes that scream summertime and cookouts! It’s just a total classic – who doesn’t love a good potato?
I love putting new spins on the classic, and this week, I bought way too many jalapeños so I needed to use them up! When in doubt, throw jalapeños in every dish you make! 😉 That’s basically the motto that my husband wishes I’d live by every day!
…my motto: throw bacon in every dish that I make!
This Smoky Jalapeño Bacon Potato Salad is the best of both worlds – you get a little heat from the jalapeños and smokey flavor from the bacon! If bacon wasn’t enough, we paired it with some smoked turkey thighs and smoked pulled pork the other night for dinner. It was PERFECT! This summer is definitely going to be the summer of the smoker, and I am not ashamed to admit that at all!
We got it for Christmas this last year and are obsessed with it! Do any of you have a smoker? What’s been your favorite thing to smoke in it?
I’m always looking for some inspiration for unique things to try out for the next go at the smoker! Let me know your favorites in the comments below!
In a large pot of boiling water over medium heat, cook chopped potatoes (I left the peels on - feel free to remove them if you'd like!) for about 13 minutes or until the pieces are just barely tender. You don't want the pieces to fall apart - so keep an eye on them!
While the potatoes are cooking, remove the skin from the onion and shred the onion into a bowl. You can use a regular sized grater or a very fine one - depending on your preference.
To the bowl, mix in remaining ingredients, except for the bacon pieces and eggs.
Once the potatoes have finished cooking, drain the water from them.
Let them cool for just a couple minutes, and then mix them into your mayo mixture.
Finally, stir in the bacon pieces and hard-boiled eggs. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate it for later!
Talk about flavor! This rice is filled with it! I don’t know about you, but I’m not usually a fan of plain food. I love spices, and this Dirty Cauliflower Rice uses quite a few of them! It’s a good way to pull that spice or two from the back of your cabinet that you haven’t used for months. We all have them! This Dirty Cauliflower Rice is packed with tons of spices and a little bit of heat from the hot sausage and added jalapeño that makes for a dish you just can’t stop eating!
Make it as a main dish, a side dish, or stuff bell peppers with it! It’s super versatile and couldn’t be easier to make!
Is there anything that bacon doesn’t make better? That’s a big “NO” in my book.
REAL TALK: the only reason I don’t put bacon in more recipes is because I’m too lazy to cook it.
Anyone else have this problem?
Do yourself a favor and just go make some bacon. You’re going to want it for these Smokey Bacon Meatballs! They are easy to make and offer up a subtle change from the typical meatball flavor. They are tender and moist, along with being seasoned just right!
They’re pretty addicting, so you may want to double the batch!
I use good quality grass fed and grass finished ground beef from Strauss Brands meat. If you have never heard of them, check them out! They offer meat BORN & RAISED in the USA! They’re having a promotion through the end of this month (April 30, 2018). It’s goal is to educate consumers on their role in restoring our ecosystem and committing to environmental stewardship. All you have to do is pledge your support of America’s farmers who manage their land sustainably and produce grass fed and grass finished beef – in return, you’ll receive a special offer for 5 pounds of ground beef for $25 + FREE SHIPPING through Strauss. This is an AMAZING deal! Check out the 1 LB Challenge for more information! (NOT SPONSORED: I just love this meat and want to spread the goodness and it’s a great cause to support!)
So, do yourself another favor, and grab some of their ground beef! It has phenomenal flavor and there’s never any fat to drain off of the meat. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, count your blessings that you’ve never had to experience cooking with terrible quality, fatty (not the good kind) meats. Quality is so important with the meat that you eat!
1tspLiquid smokeoptional, but recommended (it's technically not paleo)
1/4cupNutpodssub whatever heavy cream variety you like (you can also use milk)
Instructions
In a saucepan over medium heat, caramelize the onions in oil for about 8-10 minutes or until browned slightly. Remove from heat to cool.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, gently combine ground beef, almond flour, seasonings, liquid smoke, egg, and nut pods/cream.
Stir in cooked bacon pieces and onions.
With a tablespoon or a melon ball scooper, portion out meatballs onto a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper for easy clean up!) in heaping tablespoons.
Bake for 15 minutes or until browned and cooked through the center.
The name says it all: Hamburger Helper. I don’t know about you, but HH will always have a special place in my heart! Who’s with me?
This southwest take on the classic is total comfort food – the best kind of food, in my opinion. Give me some pasta, a creamy sauce, some ground beef and I am one happy girl!
This Southwest Hamburger Helper uses my Pepperjack Cheese Sauce, pasta, ground beef, and a few seasonings. It’s almost as simple as the original!
You can use any pasta you like – I like to use Banza Chickpea Rotini for this recipe. It’s high in protein and fiber with super-clean ingredients. Chickpeas aren’t paleo, but we do well with them – to each his own! Life’s all about balance. I also love Bellabondanza’s Green Bean fettuccine – it’s DELICIOUS, low carb, and packed with protein too. Do what works for you!
In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the directions.
While the pasta is cooking, brown the meat over medium heat. This should take about 5-8 minutes.
Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it and add it to your ground meat. (If you used good quality beef, you shouldn't have any fat to drain!)
Add the cheese sauce and seasonings to the pasta.
Combine ingredients and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the sauce is heated through and thickened slightly.
Recipe Notes
* Pepperjack Cheese Sauce recipe - follow the directions to make it into a pasta sauce. You'll need 2 1/2 cups of broth. You can use the entire recipe or only half, depending on how saucy you like it. The pasta may absorb a decent amount of it, as well.
