squash pumpkin winter soup

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My husband said this soup is sophisticated and my friend Michelle said it was comforting. I couldn’t have said it better myself — It truly is both! The smell of the roasted squash and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in our home was wonderful. This soup makes a wonderful first course for entertaining and would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving menu. Serve it in pumpkins and your guests will really be talking.

It’s spicy, but not too spicy. The next time I make it I plan to double the amount of chile, but that’s just me. This soup experiment turned out to be silky smooth in texture with spicy warm flavors, exactly what I was craving. Add some crusty bread and it’s very satisfying.

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Spicy Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

5 (2 ratings)
This soup makes a wonderful first course for entertaining and would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving menu. Serve it in pumpkins and your guests will really be talking.
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Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 48 minutes

Ingredients

Roasting Squash:

  • 2 quartered acorn , or other small winter squash
  • 1 stick, unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt

Soup:

  • ¼ cup pepitas, pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 chopped leek, white part only
  • ½ chopped white onion
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 pasilla or ancho chiles,  stemmed, seeded, and torn into large pieces
  • 1 14-ounce can vegetable broth
  • water, depending on desired thickness
  • 1 granny smith apple, cored, and chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
  • 1 cup crema Mexicana for garnish, optional
  • paprika powder for garnish, optional

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Instructions 

Roasting Squash:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Carefully cut each squash into quarters. Slice a piece of butter and place on each piece of squash, sprinkle with salt, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet skin sides down. Roast for one hour or until the squash is tender.
  • When the squash is cool enough to handle scoop it into a bowl and reserve. Warning: This part is kinda messy.

Soup:

  • In a dry skillet toast the pepitas for about 5 minutes or until they start to pop. Set aside to cool off and reserve.
  • Heat the olive oil in a caldero (soup pot) over medium heat. Add the leek, onion, celery, ginger, garlic, and chile pieces. Stir frequently, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Add the broth, squash, and apple. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for about 20 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender, you should have a very thick base at this point. Now add water a cup at a time pureeing between additions until the soup is the consistency you desire. Bring up to a simmer again and season the soup as needed with salt, pepper, and orange peel.
  • If you chose to serve this soup in pumpkins like I did, wash the pumpkins with water, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. Carve a lid off the top and remove the seeds from inside. I broiled my pumpkins for 5 to 10 minutes while the soup was simmering, but this step is not necessary.
  • Place each pumpkin onto a plate and fill them with soup topped with a dollop of crema, a sprinkle of paprika, and pepitas if desired.

Notes

  • For s spicier soup, feel free to up the amount of chile. 
Calories: 102.76kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 2.09g, Fat: 3.22g, Saturated Fat: 0.46g, Sodium: 865.44mg, Potassium: 499.77mg, Fiber: 3.17g, Sugar: 3.67g, Vitamin A: 1353IU, Vitamin C: 15.51mg, Calcium: 49.29mg, Iron: 1.36mg
Author: Yvette Marquez
Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: Mexican

Photography by Jeanine Thurston