As the weather gets cooler and our sweaters get thicker, squash becomes a plentiful ingredient and warm soup begs our attention. This harvest bowl is a harmonious pairing of creamy squash soup and hearty belly-filling toppings, making it the perfect meal to cozy up with on a chilly November evening. Squash is nutrient and fiber-dense, full of vitamins and antioxidants and is so easy to work with. You can easily customize this soup bowl with whatever may be hiding in your fridge, or what calls your name upon a trip to the market.
This recipe was made using produce from Thorne’s Farm Fresh Produce, who can be found at St. Jacobs Market.
What you’ll need:
2.5 – 3 cups squash, cleaned, cut into large 4-5 inch sections, skin on. Use a spoon to remove any seeds. I used 2 large Delicata, but Butternut or Acorn would work well, too.
1 large sweet potato (or 2 small)
1 large white potato (or 2 small)
1 onion or shallot, roughly chopped
2 heads of garlic, chopped
5-6 cups of Vegetable Broth
1 cup dry white wine
Olive oil
Half of a fresh lemon
Sea Salt, Pepper, Chili Flakes, Garlic Powder, Nutmeg
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While oven is preheating, prepare squash and place onto baking sheet. Also place whole sweet and regular potatoes onto baking sheet. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook squash and potatoes for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.
2. While squash and potatoes are baking, sauté onion and garlic in a pot with olive oil. Once simmering, add dry white wine and continue to simmer until excess liquid cooks down. Cook onions and garlic until caramelized and well-browned.
3. Once tender, remove squash and potatoes from oven. Allow to cool.
4. Once onions and garlic are cooked down, add your vegetable broth to the pot. Turn off heat and allow broth to cool alongside your squash and potatoes.
5. Once squash and potatoes are cooled, remove the skins of the squash and potatoes, and discard/compost. Add squash, potatoes and broth to a high-power blender. (If you do not have a high-power blender, a hand blender works well too!)
6. Blend on high until the desired consistency is achieved. Add extra broth if a thinner consistency is desired. Once blended, add soup back into a pot.
7. Bring temperature back up to a simmer and add nutmeg, chili flakes and garlic powder accordingly. Simmer for 10 minutes, squeeze in fresh lemon and taste throughout and season with desired amount of salt and pepper.
8. Garnish with your favourite starch, veggies, nuts or seeds. I topped my bowl with cumin-spiced basmati rice, brussels sprouts, green beans, pumpkin seeds, olive oil and flake sea salt.
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