September 25, 2020

Butternut Squash Soup with Honey Mascarpone and Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

first, cut up your butternut squash. Cut the ends off and then cut between the top and bottom.

using a peeler, peel off all of the outer skin

add butternut squash cubes and cut up cauliflower to a prepared sheet pan, add seasonings and olive oil, toss

dice up carrots, shallots and celery, brown in a skillet with olive oil or vegetable stock

roasted squash and cauliflower, let cool

place pieces on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil

use a pastry brush to spread the oil evenly on all pieces, bake for 10-15 min until crispy. Top with gruyere cheese or your favorite melting cheese

after the squash has cooled, pour into a blender or food processor. Add vegetable stock to thin our the veggies to blend

secure the lid and blend until smooth, pour back into the pot to heat up and add more stock to reach desired consistency

for a topping toast pumpkin seeds with chili powder and garlic salt

Butternut squash Soup with honey Marscapone, spiced pumpkin seeds

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 head of Cauliflower

Olive Oil for drizzling on the Butternut Squash and Cauliflower florets

2 Tsp Garlic Salt

1 Tsp ground pepper

3-4 carrots, diced

3-4 celery stalks, diced

2 large shallots, diced

2 Tbs olive oil, or use vegetable broth to soften the veggies

4-6 cups Vegetable Broth, low sodium

2+ cups of water, divided

1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese

2 Tbs Honey

1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 tsp Garlic Salt

1/4 tsp Chili Seasoning

1 baguette

olive oil for brushing the baguette

Shredded Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 400f.

Peel, seed and chop the butternut squash. Be carful to cut the ends off first so you have a flat way to stand the squash up. Cut it in half, peel each half. Cut it in half and then cut into strips. Then cut into cubes. Do the same with the second half of the squash. Place all diced squash on cookie sheets. Cut the cauliflower up, discarding the stems. Place the cauliflower florets on the cookie sheets too. Drizzle the veggies with olive oil, garlic salt and ground pepper.

While the squash and cauliflower are cooking, place the diced carrots, celery and shallots in a large skillet with olive oil or veggie stock to soften them. When they are cooked, put them aside.

When the squash and cauliflower have roasted for 25-30 minutes, or achieve the preferred roasting browning, pull them out and let them cool slightly. Add 1/2 of the carrot mixture and 1/2 of the squash to a blender. Add 1 cup of water or more if the veggies are stubborn and don’t get all blended. Pour the blended veggies into a large pan or dutch oven. Continue with the other veggies in the blender and pour it all in the big pot. Add the stock and begin to thin out the veggies. Continue to add vegetable stock until the soup reaches the consistency you like best. Once the soup is hot, taste it and add salt and pepper seasoning if needed.

While the soup is heating up, slice up the baguette, put the pieces on a lined cookie sheet and drizzle each one with olive oil. Pop them into the oven for 20 minutes, making sure they are getting crispy but not burning. Pull them out and sprinkle each one with shredded gruyere cheese. Pop them back into the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Pull them out of the oven and set them aside.

Put the Mascarpone in a bowl and add in the honey. Mix together and set aside.

In a small skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds, garlic salt and chili seasoning. Make sure the seeds don’t burn, pull them off when toasted and set aside in a bowl.

Serve the soup in a bowl with a scoop of honey Mascarpone and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. Put the crostini with melted gruyere cheese on the side. Serve with a side green salad. This is great for a cold or rainy day!

Author: Heather Conklin

Filed Under: Recipe