Make Ahead

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

November  5, 2019
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Wunder Creamery
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This creamy soup is a perfect way to stay warm throughout the Winter season! —Wunder Creamery

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3-4 medium-sized butternut squashes, peeled and cubed
  • 3 medium carrots, diced into 1" circles
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2-3 cloves, garlic (smashed+roughly chopped)
  • 4-5 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar OR red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Wünder Creamery plain quark, divided (for serving)
  • 1 teaspoon sumac (optional)
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
  • 8 leaves of fresh sage leaves, divided (for serving)
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil (for sautéing)
Directions
  1. In a large pot bring 4 to 5 cups of salted water to a boil and add in the cubed butternut squash. While the squash boils, sauté carrots first for a few minutes then add in the onion. Incorporate well and let the vegetables sweat for another 5-7 minutes.
  2. Mix in the garlic and after about a minute or two lower the heat, add in all the spices and fresh ginger. Allow the vegetable mixture to become fragrant.
  3. Check on the squash and lightly press one piece against the walls of the pot with a wooden spoon, if the squash is easily smashed add in the sautéed vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and let all the ingredients lightly boil together for another 7-10 minutes to incorporate the flavor. Add in the vinegar.
  4. You can blend the soup with an immersion blender right in the pot or transfer into a blender. Plate soup bowls and spoon a small dollop of quark, followed by pine nuts, sage leaves, and sumac.
  5. As an option, you can sprinkle additional vinegar for optimum flavor. This soup is even better on day 2 and 3!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Janet Katz
    Janet Katz
  • Gammy
    Gammy

3 Reviews

Janet K. October 27, 2021
So you boil the squash in one pot and saute the vegetables in another pan? I know the idea is to maintain the particular taste of browned vegetables but I'm not big on getting two pots dirty for butternut squash soup. The vegetables get blended anyway.
 
Gammy October 29, 2021
Agree. Alternately, but still dirtying a second dish would be to brown the veges in the larger soup pot and transfer to a bowl, then cook the butternut squash in the original pot. At least this way, you are dirtying a small dish that could be put into the dishwasher. Would take longer to make this way, but it doesn't entail using a second cooking vessel.
 
Janet K. October 29, 2021
Good idea! Sort of like how one does stir fries!