Recipe by: Jennifer Coatanroch, La Vie Plenty
Cheers to the fall, and to soup season! I love every season, but hands down, fall is my absolute favorite. This particular fall, the leaves seem to be extra colorful, and everything is more beautiful than ever. Maybe because we've been extra cooped up this year?!
I think butternut squash soup is always the first soup I make after the summer. And this year, for the first time ever, I actually made the first butternut squash soup of the season with squash from my own garden! It was my first time growing butternut squash, and to my surprise it totally flourished!
Some things worked well in the garden this year (squash, tomatoes, scallions, and herbs) and some things were a complete bomb (cucumber, green beans, snap peas, radish...). C'est la vie. Better luck next year!
I'm definitely going to try growing leeks next year. They are one of my favorite vegetables. Their sweet, mild, onion flavor make them my go-to for so many of the dishes I cook. They are great in soups, in egg dishes, in stir-fry's, or just simply sautéed on their own. They smell amazing when they are cooking, and they add such a delicious flavor to recipes. If you haven't cooked with them yet, please give them a try!
This year, I tried something new with a combination of tart green and sweet red apples, and it turned out delicious! It definitely makes it more kid friendly. My son calls it "apple soup", and I think that's a fun name for it!
This is the video of my son and I making the soup for the Danbury Farmers' Market. I think he ended up eating more apples than actually made it into the soup! I think I have a little actor on my hands.
Once the squash is peeled, this soup is a breeze to make. And if you don't have the time to peel a whole squash, there is no shame in buying pre-cut packaged squash! For this recipe, I used one large squash, and if using packaged, I would use two packages.
This is a close-up video of the squash being cut and peeled:
The squash gets roasted in the oven, and the remaining ingredients sauté on the stove top.
After everything simmers together for 20 minutes, purée with an immersion blender or stand blender.
This soup can be garnished with pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chives, scallions, or diced apple. Get creative, and let me know how it goes!
It makes a nice big portion, so you can have leftovers for the week, or freeze some for later.
Bon Appétit!
Butternut Squash, Leek and Apple Soup
Vegan, Gluten free, Nut free, Soy free, Kid friendly
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Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8-10 servings _________________________________________
Ingredients:
1 large, or 2 small butternut squash, cut into 1 inch cubes (a good 3 pound squash, or 2 packages of pre-cut squash)
1 small green apple, coarsely chopped
1 small sweet red apple, coarsely chopped (honey crisp, sweet tango, gala, etc.)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (I like to use Vidalia, but any variety will work well)
2 leeks, rinsed and cut into half moons
2 Tbsp coconut oil
dash of cinnamon
2 tsp curry
1 tsp salt, to taste
pepper to taste
5 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups non-dairy or dairy milk
Garnish ideas: diced apple, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chives, rosemary, thyme, diced avocado...
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place the cubed squash on a lined sheet pan (non-stick baking sheet, parchment paper, or tinfoil), arrange so that they have some space between them so they can roast instead of steam, and sprinkle the squash with a dash of salt and cinnamon. No need to use any oil if the pan is lined. Place in the oven, and roast for 30 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, heat the oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Once it's heated, add the apple, leek, onion, salt and curry. Mix well and sauté for 10 minutes.
Add the roasted squash (it doesn't need to be fully cooked since it will continue cooking in the soup), vegetable broth, and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Purée the soup using an immersion blender right in the pot, or a stand blender working in batches. (Be careful not to splatter the hot soup!)
Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and curry.
Garnish as desired!
Bon Appétit!