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Spiced Butternut Squash Apple Soup
By Katie Goodman
I'm not quite ready for winter, but I do love that soup season is on its way here. There are few experiences better than warming up to a bowl of hot soup after a long, cold day. And the flavor combinations that a bowl of soup can bring are unlimited: sweet, savory, hot, cold, spicy, mild, and everything in between. This recipe for Spiced Butternut Squash Apple Soup is a little of both sweet and savory. It's low in fat, full of veggies, but still filling. I recommend serving it with a fresh loaf of warm, crusty bread. If you have time, this recipe is fantastic, but bakery purchased bread works just as well.
To save time, you may purchase pre-peeled and chopped squash, available in many supermarkets. Just toss the cubes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast as directed for the whole squash in the recipe below, though it will take less time.
Ingredients
1 medium-sized butternut squash
1 small carrot
1 rib celery
Small yellow onion, about ½ cup
1 clove garlic
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
¾ tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 apple, I used a honey crisp
1 carton broth
6 ounces apple juice
½ cup half and half
Parmesan, for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Directions
Step 1: Cut the squash in half, then again lengthwise.
Scrape out the seeds and discard.
Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and place with the flesh side down in a baking pan. Cover with foil and bake until tender, about 60-75 minutes. You may also choose to peel and chop the squash, add it to the broth and boil till tender.
Step 2: Meanwhile, finely chop the carrot, celery, onion, and apple (peel the apple). Set aside. Mince the garlic. In a stock pot, heat 2 tsp olive oil until sizzling.
Step 3: Add the onion and sauté until tender and golden, about 5-7 minutes. Add the apple, carrot and celery. Sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Pour in the broth and add the thyme leaves. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the squash is done roasting.
Step 4: Wearing an oven mitt, hold the squash and scoop out the flesh. Place it in a blender. Add the contents of the stock pot to a blender or food processor — you may need to do this in multiple batches, depending on the size of your blender or food processor. Process until very smooth and until no chunks of vegetables remain.
Step 5: Transfer back into the pot. Add the apple juice and half and half. Salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve. Garnish with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan and a few thyme leaves just before eating.
About the Author:
Katie Goodman resides in New Mexico with her husband and two children (a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl). Learning in the kitchen, eating, trying new recipes, and sharing them with friends and loved ones are some of Katie's favorite things to do. She wholeheartedly believes that part of the goodness in life is enjoying good food with good friends and family, and goodLife {eats} is a place for her to share what she finds good in the kitchen.
I made this tonight and it's good...actually it's very good and quite healthy! However, my ONLY criticism would be that the recipe is written in a slightly confusing way. I think it might be because it was broken up into segments (although the pics are fantastic. I also added a pinch of sugar. Thank you for creating this and sharing it with us!
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A 32 oz carton
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This recipe sounds wonderful! I, too, have a question about how much broth is needed. I've seen cartons of broth in various sizes: 16oz, 32oz and 48oz. Thanks!
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Sorry - that would be a 32 oz carton of broth. Or you can use 4 cups water plus bouillon cubes.
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That sounds delicious! I have a butternut squash at home and I'll try this.
I've got one question, though: I'm from Germany and I couldn't find out so far how much 1 carton broth is. And is it really liquid broth or a cube to dissolve in water? If it's the latter: how much water?
cheers,
Julia
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Julia - a 32 oz carton of broth or 4 cups water plus 4 bouillon cubes.
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First of all, if I hadn't known what to do, I would have ended up with a finely chopped apple sitting randomly on the cutting board after the entire dish was said and done- What happened to that apple? Was I actually not supposed to sautee it with the rest of the broth base?
Secondly, I don't know if it's the altitude difference but I found it almost impossible to get a large part of the flesh out from the squash. I think it might be easier (and healthier) to just slice it into chunks, peel the chunks like pumpkin, and boil the chunks for 15 minutes. I ended up waiting until they were cool (scooping flesh out of a vegetable slowly cooling from 400F? NOT FUN.) and just cutting the rind off and tossing the chunk in a blender like I was making pumpkin puree.
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Hi Scott,
The apple is added in now and Katie our author just noted that "You may also choose to peel and chop the squash, add it to the broth and boil till tender."
Your technique is fine too! Thanks for trying out the recipe.
Cheers,
Nat
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