Roasted butternut squash soup with leeks and ginger

I prefer to make squash and pumpkin soups with sweet chicken stock, made with plenty of carrots, apple peels, squash butts, and warmer, sweeter spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. I'd planned to make such a stock and soup in a few weeks, but while shopping I spotted beautiful, nearly overripe butternut squash on sale for .75c a pound. I was planning on a different soup to go with the oniony, aromatic stock I made a few days ago - but I figured I'd give a savory butternut squash soup a try. After all, part of the reason I started this endeavor and blog was to shake things up and not get too comfortable using my old recipes over and over.

Butternut squash, or butternut pumpkin to our Australian friends, is a sweet, nutty winter squash with beige-yellow skin and orange flesh that becomes softer and deeper orange when ripened completely. Its a really neat little squash - not as sweet as pumpkin, but lacking the stringy texture of other squash. Its a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. Like most orange veggies, it is rich in vitamin A due to beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is the reason Mom always told you to eat your carrots "so you can see in the dark!": while carrots and orange squash and sweet potatoes won't afford you the ability to see in the dark, they ARE important for eye health. In fact - a symptom of vitamin A deficiency is reduced night vision. A mere ounce of Butternut squash packs in 62% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin A.

Most squash and pumpkin soups you'll find are pretty darn sweet, calling for sweet onions, boiled squash, and maple syrup or honey. This would not go with the stock I had on hand, but I had a few tricks up my sleeve.

What You Need:

one 3-4 pound butternut squash
2-3 quarts chicken stock *v
one leek
one small yellow onion (about 2/3 cup)
one half cup sour cream *v
extra virgin olive oil
one tablespoon Agave nectar OR
one tablespoon sugar
one teaspoon fresh ginger, grated OR
one half teaspoon powdered ginger
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves

When picking a butternut squash, pick one that feels heavy for its size. It should be very firm - firmer than a Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin, and much firmer than summer squashes such as zucchini and yellow squash. Pick one with unblemished, creamy manilla-folder-colored skin.

Use a regular, cheap yellow onion; there is no need to buy the sweetest available.

*v - If you would like to make this soup vegetarian, pick a vegetable stock that does NOT have heavy celery or tomato notes. If your vegetable stock even remotely tastes like V8, don't use it! I tried mashing some of my squash into the veggie stock I had on hand and it did NOT mix with the V8 taste well at ALL.

If you are avoiding dairy, try using plain, unsweetened soy/rice yogurt or soured/fermented soy milk. I used sour cream on a whim to add a little thickness, creaminess, and tang to the soup, so anything creamy and probiotic will do. If you use this option, I'd use less stock to avoid making the soup too watery. Feel free to email me any feedback about this at rock.the.stock@gmail.com!

The How-To

Preheat your oven to 375F

Start by peeling your Butternut squash. Don't worry about the butt and the top - they're going to be chopped off and not used (put them in a freezer bag for a future stock!Cut your squash in half just over the bulb on the bottom. Be careful, especially if you've picked yourself a fat squash! I'm not responsable for any lost fingers.

Also: if you have very sensitive skin, are allergic to raw pumpkin, or are prone to contact dermatitis, use gloves to handle your raw squash. The juice is a potential irritant and is known to cause dermatitis flares.

Cut the top half into thirds, and then into 1-inch-wide strips (not pictured). Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds and pulp. The seeds are too small to effectively roast and eat, and the pulp isn't good for stock, so just compost it.

Cut the scooped-out-squash bulb into chunks, and lay on top of foil on a cookie sheet. Lightly salt the squash, and top with a little bit of nutmeg. Be sure to use foil or parchment! These babies like to ooze sticky, sugary squash juice when roasted, and that stuff is impossible to scrub off. Bake them in an oven preheated to 375F for 45-60 minutes, or until soft and a deep orange-gold

Leeks are dirty little veggies - as leeks grow, sand is trapped in the layers of leaves. Prepare them by slicing the leek down the middle, white root to tender light green midsection -

-and rise under cool water. Spread the leaves gently with your fingers. Feel free to soak after chopping, too, if you happen to have gotten an especially dirty leek.


Slice the leek into pieces 1/4 of an inch thick or thinner. Chop the onion. Heat a 4-6 quart pot with plenty of olive oil. Butter may be substituted, but I used oil to cut on the cholesterol and for the flavor - butter would tip this soup towards "sweet", which I was not going for.

Cook the leeks and onions on medium heat for about two minutes. Add a ladle full of stock, and allow the onions and leeks to cook in the liquid for 5-10 minutes over medium-low heat.

Think you can't afford nice extra-virgin olive oil? Hit up your nearest Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or Arabic grocery. Olive oil is a staple in these regions; I've found that even lower-mid-priced olive oil from these groceries taste as good as lower-high-priced dipping olive oils from gourmet groceries.

Once the leeks and onions are soft enough to mash with a fork, add your roasted squash. Try to resist eating the squash as is, OK?

Just barely cover the squash with stock. Truth be told - I used too much in this picture, and had to remove some while I was pureeing the soup. Add less than is pictured! Let the squash peek out of the stock. You can always add more later.

Simmer with the stock for 10 minutes.


After simmering, blend. Preferably with a hand blender, as pictured. Hand blenders are a great, small investment - they're easy to clean, powerful, and are super-portable. If you must use a conventional blender, blend in small batches (fill the pitcher no more than half way), and allow the steam to vent to avoid dangerous steam build up.

At this point, add the sour cream, agave nectar/sugar, and spices to taste. I used approximately 1/8 teaspoon of each spice listed. I added the ginger on a whim because something was missing (and ginger was it!). I used a few dashes of ginger powder and a few slices of leftover pickled sushi ginger. Next time, I'll plan on using fresh only. The ginger really serves well to connect the sweet squash with the aromatic onions and leeks and the savory chicken broth.

Your finished product should be gold, thick, and creamy. Mix your ingredients with the blender - the more you blend, the creamier the soup. My soup was so creamy that my texture-terrified boyfriend enjoyed it.

I ate this soup with a side of tabbouleh on the first night, and next to steak the next. Its a heavy, warming soup and can be eaten alone, but is a wonderful side and I think it'd go well on top of a nice bowl of homemade mashed potatoes. I consider my mission to make a savory, not-too-sweet Butternut squash soup accomplished!

Enjoy!