Butternut Squash Soup Recipe: Cozy Fall Comfort Food

Soup and soul

This butternut squash soup will make you feel cozy and thankful with its sweet notes tickling your taste buds as they make room for the savory spices. Making this soup has become a fall reflection since the soup has become a fusion of the flavors that make up my life.

Here in Ohio, I savor watching summers fade into fall with annual anticipation. This is the golden time of year for me. Each dreamy fall day has marked my soul with their invitation to relish the beauty, to remember cycles of life, traditions that nurture, as well as to let some things go.

So, this Thanksgiving week as we let go of discontentment and embrace gratitude let your soul be nourished through these flavors. Wether it makes it on your Thanksgiving table or it becomes a simple fall meal, I promise you will enjoy making it and eating it.

I invite you to set your table, light a candle, and let your heart be nurtured as you give thanks together.
Daisy Dronen

The taste of life: A fusion of cultures

The culinary bounty of the Midwest is extensive. Many vegetables and fruit were new to me when I moved here and I didn’t have a point of reference for how to cook them. But little by little I began experimenting with my favorite flavors from the Honduran soups I loved as a kid but with new ingredients and even new methods. I must have read 10 butternut squash recipes and when it finally came time to make this soup I dove in without a recipe. Instead I let my senses guide me in choosing the spices that reminded me of home while embracing the sweetness of the apples, carrots, and squash.

When my friend Dorina asked me to share a meal at the Redbud Women of Color retreat I knew this soup was part of the meal I wanted to share. This time though the garnish was crispy sweet plantains deepening further the mix of the two cultures that live inside of me. The accompaniment to the soup would be tostada that drew me right back to food we got at the mercado (market) after a long morning of grocery shopping. The black refried beans a base on which to stack the crisp and flavorful slaw and avocados piled high with pickled red onions, and over all a sprinkling of tangy cotija cheese.

The versatility of this soup is one that can be paired with a flavorful tostada but on a cozy fall day for an easy meal a piece of crusty bread and butter will do. I will never forget this meal in the mountains near Yosemite where I saw the beautiful fusion that is my life at the table.

The Recipe

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 strips of bacon*
1-2 tbsp of olive oil or ghee*
1/2 of a shallot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
5 carrots, peeled and cubed
1 green apple, cubed
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can of Whole fat unsweetened Coconut milk
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of boiling water

INSTRUCTIONS

Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space and prepping the vegetables.
Even as your are chopping and prepping, heat a large pot on medium heat and cook the two slices of bacon. Let the bacon get crispy but be careful it doesn’t burn. When the bacon is cooked to your liking remove it and set it aside, it will crisp up even more as it cools.
Add the tablespoon of olive oil or ghee to the pot. Then add your shallot and onion and let it cook, about 5 minutes, until it becomes translucent and smells divine.
Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic brown too much or it may turn bitter.
Add the cubed vegetables, carrots, squash, and apple. At this point you may need to add more olive oil or ghee* depending on how big your butternut squash is. As they sauté add the spices and let it all sauté for 15 minutes.
When the vegetables start to soften add the can of fire roasted tomatoes. Pour the half cup of boiling water in the empty tomato can to get all the sauce out, then pour it into the pot. Add the bayleaf and the two cups of chicken broth and let it simmer on medium for 20-25 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Do not let all of the water boil down. It should have lots of broth.
Heat up the oven and prepare the bread you want to serve. Cut up the crispy bacon and put in a bowl, set out a bowl of the cheese, and a bowl pumpkin seeds.
When the vegetables are very tender, taste it, you may need to add more salt and pepper. Add the can of coconut milk and let it simmer for a few more minutes maybe 4 or 5. Remove the bayleaf and transfer the soup to the blender, blend it until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender for this step.Serve immediately with warm crusty bread topping the soup with bacon, cheese, and pumpkin seeds.
For Serving
Shaved parmesan, manchego, or your favorite aged cheese
Pumpkin seeds
Crusty bread and a favorite salted butter
Notas
Making this recipe should feel very comfortable and organic. Do not hesitate to add more of any of the spices to make it to your taste.
*Ghee is a clarified butter that you can find almost in any store now. I love to sauté and roast with it but you can also substitute butter or olive oil.
*I sometimes substitute Herbs de Provence instead - you will love this herb blend!
*You don’t have to use bacon if you want to keep this recipe vegetarian.
*This soup tastes even better when shared with friends.