Savory Banana Soup - Savor the Unexpected

Bananas in your soup? Savor the unexpected. 

I am really excited about this absolutely unique soup. I've never made, tasted, or even heard of anything like it before. 

 I originally saw a banana soup recipe on 2pots2cook.  I looked up banana soup recipes on Pinterest, and found all kinds of interesting and varied ingredients and recipes for this type of soup.

 

Surprisingly, all the recipes that I found were almost entirely savory and spicy!!! Banana soup is not a sweet soup. I would have never imagined combining onions, ginger, and peppers with bananas. 

I played around with the many recipes that I explored online and created a recipe that appealed to me. I knew fresh ginger would be included and also decided on butternut squash.

 I learned from this exploration that cooked banana (as well as plantains) can add flavor and texture to soup. Interesting !!!

This recipe is absolutely delicious with the banana, butternut squash and banana! I could have eaten the entire small pot which made 4 cups of blended soup (2 bowls). 

Ingredients: 

1 cup of chopped onion 

1 cup of sliced carrot

2 and 1/2 cups of cubed butternut squash

1/2 cup of water for sauteeing 

1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger (more if you are a fan like me)

Fresh juice of one juicy lime 

1 large spotted banana

3 cups of vegetable broth

Directions: 

Sauté onion, carrots, and butternut squash in 1/2 cup of water for 4 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Add freshly grated ginger, fresh lime juice, banana, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 10-12 minutes, covered, until all vegetables are soft.  Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Taste and enjoy. If too thick, add 1 more cup of broth after blending.

Variations: 

• Top with cinnamon if desired ( I did not) 

• Add hot pepper flakes  

• Top with vegan yogurt topping or coconut milk. 

• Top with vegan parmesan cheese (or regular grated parmesan cheese if you eat it) 

• Use crushed peanuts for a topping 

A Little Background

This type of soup originated in Caribbean countries where they also use plantains in soup. The Caribbean climate is perfect for growing bananas and plantains, which is why this ingredient has become central to many regional dishes, including soups.

While savory banana soup has strong Caribbean roots, variations of it can also be found in Central and South America, particularly in countries like Cuba and Venezuela, where plantains and bananas play a similar role in their culinary traditions as well. 

This soup is easy to make and can be made somewhat quickly. It's healthy, low in fat, oil-free, high in fiber and nutrients. In addition, it meets gluten-free, vegan, and parve standards. I was truly surprised how much I enjoyed the flavor of this most unusual soup!!!

My Notes: 

1. I used frozen butternut squash cubes in this recipe

2. Don't forget to take a look at the interesting recipe that I originally saw posted on 2pots2cook , which was my inspiration.