I've reached squash nirvana with butternut squash. It is THE squash for all my orange squash needs, including pies, roasted veggies, and soup.
Butternut squash is the one of the stranger shaped objects on my kitchen counter and it offers a solid punch of orange-food vitamins and it's quite gentle on your inner sanctum. It's loaded with vitamin A and C, and some iron and calcium thrown in for good measure. It's not acidic, unlike citrus fruits with a similar vitamin profile, which makes it quite gentle on sensitive digestive systems.
Another amazing thing that I've yet to prove false: it seems to last for months without going bad. I've used a butternut squash up to 3 months old, so I'm not sure how much longer it can last, but I do store it in a dry, cool, slightly dark place.
For the pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), these can be made any time and they're a great complement to the soup, or just munch on them while you're making this soup. They're light and crunchy, with a little kick from the chili and lime. Top the soup off with a spoonful of yogurt, tahini, pesto, or a drizzle of flavored oil.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash about 3 pounds, or 4 ½ cups of uncooked 1-inch cubes
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper, non-stick mat, or grease the baking sheet with oil.
- Cut the squash in half, the long way. You can remove the seeds now, or wait until the squash is roasted when they'll be a bit easier to scoop out.
- Rub the inside of each squash half with some olive oil.
- Coat the onions with oil and then place them on the baking sheet so the squash halves can rest on top of the onions.
- Place the garlic and thyme inside each squash half and then place them face down on top of the onions on the baking sheet.
- Roast the squash and onions for about 40 minutes, or until the squash is tender and you can insert a fork in the thickest part.
- Cool the squash and remove the thyme (and seeds if you didn't already). Scoop out the squash and place it into a blender along with the garlic and onions.
- Add the broth or water to the blender, ½ teaspoon of salt, and then blend until the soup is smooth. You may need to blend the soup in batches.
- Serve with yogurt, tahini, flavored oil, or pesto, and the chili lime pepitas below.
Nutrition
Chili Lime Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw pepitas hulled pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat, or grease your baking sheet with oil.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and blend well.
- Bake the seeds for 15 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown and puff up. You'll also hear them pop.
- Cool and enjoy! Store in a sealed container for a week or so.
KimH says
Yum.. I havent had good chili lime pepitas since I was a kid. My family used to go to Mexico to our favorite restaurant every other weekend and they had the BEST! I can find roasted pepitas but not like these.. YUM! Thanks for both of the great recipes.. Looking forward to trying them both out..
BTW, I've had butternut squash last for a year in my basement.. and then I've had others go south in a couple months.. depends on lots of conditions including growing, harvesting, and storage. 🙂
Erica says
Thanks Kim. I've heard many squash and root veggies can last quite a while in a cold, humid storage area, especially in a root cellar-type storage setup.
Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel says
Looks delicious! The chili lime pepitas would make this even more fantastic!
Would love for you to link up to Wonderful Food Wednesday this week.
Kerrie
http://www.familyfoodandtravel.com
Sheila Holland says
Thanks so much for the new recipes. Just took the seeds out of the oven and think they will make a wonderful snack. Let's face it, if you are SCD, one thing you miss is a crunchy snack! Looking forward to trying your version of the soup, too.
Thanks for such a great blog!
Sheila
Erica says
Thanks! Yes, the pepitas are a great snack!