Get the Recipe: Kabocha Squash Soup
Delicious Kabocha squash soup, flavoured with apple cider and ginger and topped with parmesan and pepita crisps and a bit of sour cream. A perfect Fall soup!
Ingredients
- 3 lb Kabocha squash
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2-3 teaspoons ginger, fresh or jarred, or about 1/2 tsp dried ginger
- 1/2 cup apple cider, or apple juice
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or about 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 sprig rosemary, fresh or about 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
For the topping:
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons whole milk
For the Parmesan pepita crisps:
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
- 2 Tablespoons pepitas, raw
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. (non-convection) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy interior. Roast the squash cut side down for about one hour, or until very soft. Once the squash has cooled enough to handle, scrape out the flesh from the skin and set aside. You should end up with about 4 cups of cooked squash.
- Lower the oven temperature to 375F. In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter until it starts to bubble slightly. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper, then sauté stirring occasionally until translucent and slightly browned (about 8-12 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger and sauté stirring frequently until soft and fragrant (about 2 minutes). Increase the heat to medium high, then add the cider (or apple juice, if using), vinegar, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Simmer stirring frequently, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, until the liquid has reduced almost completely (about 5 minutes).
- Add 5 cups of broth and the cooked squash. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium to bring the soup to a low simmer. Cover the soup partially with a lid and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, prepare the sour cream mixture by whisking together the sour cream, milk, and several grinds of black pepper in a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve. To make the parmesan and pepita crisps, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, spoon the grated Parmesan cheese onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between each pile. Evenly spread each pile of cheese to create rounds that are approximately three inches in diameter. Add a sprinkle of pepitas to each round and bake until the cheese has melted and has browned slightly. Let the rounds cool slightly on the baking sheet, then remove to cool completely on a wire rack. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Once the soup is done simmering, remove the bay leaves and thyme and rosemary stems (the leaves should have mostly fallen off during the simmering process). (*If you have a small blender, do the soup in several batches to avoid steam build-up in the blender!) Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until very smooth, placing a kitchen towel over top to allow steam to escape. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot! Return the soup to the pot and adjust the thickness with the remaining cup of broth, if needed. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed, then bring the soup back to a simmer over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes.
- To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls, top with a generous dollop of the sour cream mixture and crumbled parmesan and pepita crisps.
Notes
Seasoning is so important for any soup. Be sure to taste the soup at the end of cooking and add additional salt as needed. If it tastes flat at all, it needs more salt!
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe. You'll also find substitution suggestions and step-by-step photos, that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 257kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 1353mg, Potassium: 1110mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 4623IU, Vitamin C: 37mg, Calcium: 240mg, Iron: 2mg
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