Many of the winter squashes work just as well to make a delicious cream of winter squash soup. Butternut squash is the most common at the grocery, but kabocha, koginut, Georgia candy roaster, sugar pumpkin, and Long Island cheese squash are also all great. If the flesh if firm, deep orange and flavorful, it will work well to make this dish.
The formula is straight from the Cream of Anything Soup mother dish technique. Sauté some onions or a combination of aromatics in some olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add some garlic once the aromatics are soft. Add chopped squash to the pot and cover with some stock. Let it simmer until everything is tender, and then puree everything. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Also consider the texture. Stir in water if the soup is too thick. And consider the mouthfeel. A splash of cream (or full fat coconut milk to keep things vegan) will provide a luxurious mouthfeel, but it’s really a matter of taste.
Optionally you can roast the squash before making the soup. Alternatively, you can just let the squash poach in the broth. Winter squash takes well to roasting, developing a richer flavor with caramelized notes. But taking the simpler route of just poaching the squash in the pot will produce a nice soup as well. If you choose to roast, you have two more choices.
The first option is cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, roast, and then scoop out the flesh, leaving the skin behind. The second is to deseed and skin the squash, and cut into large pieces & roast the pieces. Either way, using some olive oil, and 425°F oven for 30-40 minutes should work.
Garnishes really make cream of anything soups special. Some ideas from the photos shown here are house croutons with Parmesan and black pepper, roasted cauliflower and rosemary infused olive oil, and house croutons with rosemary infused olive oil. I have lots of ideas for garnishes in my Cream of Anything Soup mother dish post.
Photo Walk Through of Recipe
Cream of Winter Squash Soup
Equipment
- Stock Pot
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, 6-8 oz diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lbs winter squash roughly chopped
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, approximately
- 1-2 oz heavy cream optional
- Salt, pepper, herbs and spices, to taste
Instructions
- Note: You have the option of roasting the squash to develop caramelized flavor. It will add some time to the recipe, but not too much as the soup won't have to simmer as long. If you choose to do so, roast at 425°F for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Sauté the onions in the butter or olive oil and ½ tsp of salt until they are softened Some browning or the onions is OK. Stirring in the garlic for the final minute or two. Do not brown the garlic.
- Add the chopped squash to the pot and add enough stock to just reach the top of the ingredients. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer.
- After about 10 minutes, check on the status of the pot. If there is excess liquid due to water released from the fresh vegetables, let the simmering continue without the cover. If most of the ingredients are above the stock line, add more stock. Once the liquid level looks right, cover and continue simmering.
- Continue to check every 10 minutes. Adjust the liquid levels and check for doneness. The squash should be very soft. If you didn't roast the squash ahead of time, expect it to take 45 minutes.
- Once the squash is fully cooked, use an immersion blender to puree everything into a smooth soup. Final adjustments are made at this time. If the soup seems too thick, add stock or water. Taste for seasoning and creaminess. For a richer mouthfeel, add cream at this point. Add salt and pepper to taste. To brighten the soup, add a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar.
