Sweet & spicy butternut squash soup

I need spoons that don’t show reflections. Or, a better editing program. Mom, dad, Ulysses…it’s called Lightroom and it has my name written all over it.

Holy possibilities overload with this soup! What I thought was going to be a simple decision between spicy and sweet turned into an epic internal debate.

Let me recount the different ways I contemplated making this soup:

-sweet with maple/brown sugar theme

-combined with apples (ugh, no juice in the house, could be weird with milk)

-plain butternut, slightly spiced with curry/cumin maybe?

-spicy, using some of those chipotle chilis in adobo sauce I still have leftover!

-a squash medley since there are 2 acorns & a kabocha on my countertop

Oh, and then there were the toppings:

-something fresh, green and bright

-bacon (until realizing Ulysses ate it all)

-brown sugar roasted pumpkin seeds

-spicy roasted pumpkin seeds

It’s honestly amazing there’s a soup to actually post about right now and that I’m not still in the kitchen trying to decide.

In the end I kind of cheated, not really choosing one specific direction and ended up combining both the sweet and spicy elements (told you I was indecisive.) Such a good idea. Totally sweet squash soups usually leave me almost nauseous by the end, while totally spicy soups leave my taste buds fried for the rest of the day.

Meet the perfect in between.

Sweet by roasting the squash first with maple syrup and brown sugar. Spicy by adding a chili in adobo sauce and curry powder. Rounded out with nutmeg and cinnamon and you’ve got one delicious, hearty soup.

It really would’ve been awesome with crumbled bacon on top for a salty kick. I’m not gonna lie, I silently cursed Ulysses when I opened the drawer the bacon was supposed to be in to find it empty. I’m thinking we need to implement an “I finished it” list on the fridge for situations like this. You finish something, you write it on the list. Makes sense and helps keep my sanity. Win, win.

Sweet & Spicy Butternut

Squash Soup

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed & chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeds scraped out and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 vegetable bullion cube
• 2 cups of hot water
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 3/4 cup almond milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet well. Combine squash, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar and maple syrup in a large bowl and toss to combine. Spread mixture evenly onto baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 400 degrees and roast for another 25 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from oven, set aside. In a large dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions & garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes until slightly softened. Add chili & remaining spices and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Add bullion cube and water and stir until cube is dissolved. Turn heat off and puree using an immersion blender on low until it reaches a “chunky pureed” consistency*. Add both milks and stir to combine. Can be served immediately or warmed up for later.

*This soup is thick. If you prefer it more liquid, I would add 3-4 cups of water with the bullion cube and puree longer.

Do you prefer sweet or spicy squash soups?

What are some things your spouse/significant other does that drive you crazy?

**PS- I’ll announce the Chickbands winner tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Tagged as: fall, soup, squash