Acorn Squash Soup

So here it is the end of July and I'm writing (and cooking) a recipe for acorn squash soup. Doesn't quite sound like summer fare does it? Acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, etc., are usually more associated with the fall or winter months, as they kind of fit into that warm comfort food genre. However, my dad was kind enough to bring me a bounty from his garden this past week that included six acorn squash. Having never made anything with them previously, I decided to give it a try.

Acorn squash is actually indigenous to the Western Hemisphere, and wasn't known to Europeans until after Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Originally, when the Europeans first found it, they only ate the seeds of the acorn squash since the flesh was thought to be to hard to deal with. Later on the European settlers learned that squash in general was easily stored for winter and became pretty big fans of this hardy vegetable.

So while you may not think that acorn squash soup is your idea of a good meal on a hot summers night, it is still good eats at any time. But if you don't make it until fall or winter, you will still enjoy this delicious soup.

Ingredients

6 Acorn Squash
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 small onion (about 1 cup, rough chopped)
3 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Stick of Unsalted Butter
4-6 cups of Chicken Broth depending on how thick you want your soup. Can also substitute vegetable broth.
1 tsp. Ground Sage
1 tsp. Savory
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt
1/2 tsp. cayenne (or 3 dashes of red pepper flakes)
Salt
Black Pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the acorn squash at the equator. Remove the seeds with a spoon and discard. Place the acorn squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet pan. Put two garlic gloves in the center of three of the squash. In the other 3 squash halves divide the 1 cup of onion. Drizzle the squash with 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with salt and ground pepper. Place the squash in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. (May take a little longer or shorter time depending on thickness/size of the squash. They should be very soft when ready, nearly ready to cave in).

Remove the squash from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Once cooled, remove the onion and garlic cloves and set aside. Scoop the flesh of the squash out into a separate bowl and discard the skins. In a large pot, add the stick of butter, the remaining Tbsp. of olive oil, and the garlic and onion that were in the center of the squash. Cook on medium to high heat until the butter melts and just begins to foam. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and stir to remove any bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Then add the remaining stock, all of the squash, milk and yogurt. Continue to stir and bring to a light simmer.

Once the soup has come to a simmer, use a stick blender to puree the mixture. If you do not have a stick blender, you can ladle it into a blender and puree it in batches and then add it back to the pot. Once the soup is pureed, add the savory, sage and cayenne or red pepper flakes. Stir until the spices are fully incorporated. Serve hot.

This soup has a creamy and buttery flavor. I didn't have the cayenne, so I used 3 dashes of red pepper flakes, which gave it a nice spice kick at the end.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 2 Cups (information below is based on using low sodium chicken stock).

Calories: 336
Total Fat: 16 g
Cholesterol: 16 mg
Carbs: 48 g
Fiber: 16 g
Protein: 16 g