Although fall means the end of summer’s abundance of produce, the end-of-season crops are nothing to sneeze at. Butternut squash, with its earthy sweetness and versatility, can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. I whipped up this simple, hearty soup from local squash, then froze the extra for quick lunches throughout the season.
What makes this soup extra special is its creamy sweetness and vanilla flavor; it’s practically a dessert soup. You can alter the sugar to taste, but I like the hint of sweetness that the small amount listed here provides. Roasting the squash imparts a deeper, richer flavor as well. The recipe, after the jump…
Butternut-Vanilla Bean Soup
2 2-3 lb butternut squash
2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 C vegetable stock
1-2 T sugar, to taste
1/2 C cream
1 vanilla bean
salt & pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Drizzle halves with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Bake on baking sheet for 35-45 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Remove seeds (set aside–then clean, dry, roast with olive oil and salt for a tasty snack). Remove flesh from skins.
4. In food processor or blender, blend squash flesh, stock, sugar, and scraped insides of vanilla bean.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings. Blend in cream.
6. Bring to desired temperature in saucepan over medium low heat.
Kelli Best-Oliver
A former high school teacher, I'm currently a part-time writer/full-time doctoral student at the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities, studying leadership in education from a critical pedagogy perspective along with public policy. On the green side, I'm interested in local food and agriculture (Iowa girl, born and raised), sustainability education, DIY projects, and grassroots activism. I'm slowly turning my South City, St Louis home into an urban farmstead. On the hoping-to-be-greener side, I love reading, yoga, soccer, music, backpacking, knitting, pop culture and trivia, my Tuesday Night Dinner Club, traveling, Guitar Hero, dive bars, and sitting on front porches with my husband and a cold beer. I came to Green Options via a post on Sustainablog,working the St Louis angle to get Jeff to let me in. I have a personal blog chronicling (what else?) life in South St. Louis. Follow me on Twitter!
3 Responses to Sweeten The Harvest With Butternut-Vanilla Bean Soup
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Vanilla is so amazing in that it can be paired with so many things, even foods you might not suspect. This is the first time I have heard of it being used with butternut squash, but I can totally see how it would work. Thanks for the inspiration!
That sounds too good to be true! I would like to try that without the sugar.
Looks delicious. Apparently butternut squash and vanilla are a killer combo; I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a while now: http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/page/page/show?id=2325794%3APage%3A220