For years and years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make Squash Soup good. The best version of it I ever had was at Milk on Beverly (seriously). I’ve made decent versions, but none were great.
What do bad squash soups have in common? They’re BLAND. After trying all kinds of flavorings and spices, I started to think that the only way to combat bland is with shitloads of cream. It felt like the easy way out. I started compiling all the squash soup recipes I could get my hands on. FINALLY, I figured it out:
YOU NEED TO ROAST THE SQUASH FIRST.
Most recipes just have you stick the squash raw in the pot. That’s the wrong thing to do if you’re interested in an awesome tasting soup. So here’s my recipe, adapted from Peter Berley’s The Flexitarian Table, and Alton Brown.
WINTER SQUASH SOUP
2 large squash (6 cups) – 1 Butternut, 1 Kabocha (the contrast of these two made the soup super better than if it was one or the other)
1 medium white onion – small dice
1 medium leek – small dice
3 cloves garlic – minced
1 tablespoon FRESH grated ginger (so good)
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1/4 cup Half and Half or heavy cream (optional)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut your squash in half (see above), and scoop out the seeds and stuff. Drizzle olive oil over the squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked/fork tender (squashes and ovens vary).
Meanwhile prep the rest of your ingredients. Once the squash is cooked, scoop it out and have it ready for the soup.
In a soup pot or a dutch oven, pour a little olive oil in to coat the bottom of the pot. On medium heat, sauté onions and leeks for 5-10 minutes until the onions soften but don’t brown. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté for 5 more minutes.
Add squash flesh, veg. stock, cider, and sage. Bring all the ingredients to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, then turn the heat off.
Blend the soup. (I live for immersion blenders). Taste it. Add salt and pepper accordingly. You can add some honey if you want it sweeter (you probably won’t need to since roasting the squash makes it super sweet). If you like things creamy, add some cream. I added a couple tablespoons of cream for a little extra flavor. It helped, but was in no way the star of the show. Honestly, I could have left it out altogether.
Enjoy!