Nice to have but not necessary- a silicone brush for oiling the baking tray
- a wooden spatula or other spatula
- a garlic press (if not, mince the garlic finely)
- a mushroom brush
The butternut squash soup recipe
3 cups/750 mL cooked butternut squash
2 1/2 cups/625 mL water
1 cup/250 mL orange juice
1 Tbsp/15 mL butter
1 cup/250 mL chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp/5 mL salt
1/2 tsp/2 mL ground cumin
1/2 tsp/2 mL ground coriander
1/2 tsp/2 mL ground cinnamon
1 tsp/5 mL ground ginger
1 Tbsp/15 mL water
2 1/2 cups/625 mL sliced mushrooms
plain yogurt
Put the cooked squash and the first amount of water in a blender or food processor. (You may have to do this in batches.) Pureé until smooth.
Put the purée into a large soup pot.
Add the orange juice.
Heat the butter in a saucepan with a lid.
Add the onion, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger and 1 Tbsp/15 mL water.
Sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, adding more water if needed, until the onion is very soft.
Add the mushrooms to the saucepan.
Cover.
Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the onion mixture to the soup pot.
Be sure to scrape up every morsel from the bottom of the saucepan.
Heat the soup over low heat.
Spoon into individual bowls.
Top each serving with a dollop of plain yogurt.
Substitutions
- Use acorn squash instead of butternut.
Ideas for making this butternut squash soup recipe your own
- Try using another citrus juice in place of the orange juice. How about an orange-pineapple blend?
Tips
- Butternut squash have a smooth texture. They are beige in color. They are most easily recognized by their bell-like shape.
- I like using a wooden spatula to scrape the good stuff from the bottom of the saucepan.
- If your blender is just a regular one, be very cautious about using it to purée the squash! Do small amounts at a time, and stop if your blender makes funny noises or smells bad. You don't want to burn out the motor! (I'm speaking from experience here!)
- You'll need one or two butternut squashes, depending on their size. I always cook two, just in case. It's always better to have too much than too little. I freeze any extra for next time.
- Use pure 100% juice, not a sweetened juice or a "fruit cocktail". This soup is plenty sweet as it is.
Menu suggestion
Serve this dish with