A few days ago I whipped up a little batch of squash soup. I did what I usually do – read a few different recipes to see what the crucial steps are, then pretty much winged it. Usually I try to refine amounts in recipes I post, but this is a hard one to mess up, and nearly all variations of it are wonderful.
First, you have to get yourself some squash. I chose butternut and delicata, and threw in an apple for good measure. I roughly peeled the butternuts, and sliced everything in half (the apple in quarters). I also added a clove of garlic and onion to the tray, after taking this pic:
Then I stuck them all on a cookie sheet (with a super-awesome non-stick silicon liner) in the oven for about an hour. (Next experiment: using the microwave to cut this down!)
After deseeding, I simply put them all in my Ninja blender with a bit (half cup?) of apple cider and milk (1 cup?). Here’s where things kind of stop mattering…just add as much milk or cider as you’d like to get a sweet vs creamy taste, and to make it the consistency you want. Mine tends to be thicker, since I leave skins on (that’s where the fiber and vitamins are most concentrated!), which gives a nice thick texture.
Oh, and use real milk. Like, whole milk. Vitamin A, which gives most squash varieties and pumpkins their vibrant orange color, is a fat soluble vitamin – meaning you absorb more when consuming it with fat. There’s only 8g of fat in a cup of whole milk, and this makes at least 4-6 servings, so maybe even drizzle in some (a few tablespoons) olive oil!
Then the other fun part: spices! I used a pinch of cinnamon, cloves, and some cumin. I also added a vegetable boullion cube and a pinch of salt and pepper. It would probably be good with ginger, and maybe even a hit of red pepper. Like I said, hard to mess up.
Unless you go REALLY wild and add some Old Bay.
Maybe even that would be good?? Now I’m considering it…
Anyway. Garnish with almonds or a drizzle of cream, and serve warm:
