Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Apple & Peanut Butter
This cozy, comforting acorn squash soup just explodes with flavor. It's deliciously savory, a little bit sweet, and full of Indian, Moroccan, and Middle-Eastern-inspired spices. And can we talk about the hint of peanut butter flavor?
Oh my! Every spoonful is seriously a tasty surprise that's good for you too.
Your tastebuds won't be able to get enough of this warm and yummy roasted acorn squash soup!
I've had the idea for this soup in my head for a long time. It's a mash-up of roasted acorn squash soup and my son's African peanut stew. One recipe is a little sweet and the other is savory and peanut-ty.
The problem is, this soup is a little bit out of the box for me and the recipe needed some serious testing. I knew the flavors I had in mind would work well together. But I've been so busy with work these past few months, I haven't had time to experiment with it.
Fortunately, my sister Lisa came to the rescue. She's somewhat of a kitchen magician who is always willing to take on a cooking challenge. She tested and retested this for me until it was just perfect, so she gets all the credit for this recipe. And OMG is it GOOD!
While most acorn squash and apple soup recipes have warming spices like cinnamon or ginger, this one has a mixture of dried clove, allspice, and cumin along with a pop of heat from a serrano pepper. And instead of cream or sherry, it has just a touch of peanut butter for an unexpected flavor and extra creamy texture.
It's kind of a mix of North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian flavors.
Yes, I know there's a lot going on here, but trust me — you will NOT be disappointed.
What I Love About This Soup
As much as I'm sure you'll love the flavors in this soup, here are 3 more reasons to love this roasted acorn squash soup:
- It's a 30 minute meal!! (OK if you roast the squash in the oven it's about 70 minutes, but who's counting).
- Even though it's creamy and rich looking, there's no cream, and only healthy fat from olive oil, peanut butter, and pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds). But it is packed with vegetables (squash, carrots, celery, onions) and fruit (apples).
- It tastes even better the next day - so you get a night off from cooking. yay!
Acorn squash is also super healthy. All of that bright orange color inside the skin comes from antioxidants like beta carotene. It's also packed with vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Tips & Tricks
- An immersion blender makes this recipe super-simple. Just stick it in the pot and you'll get perfectly blended soup in about 45 seconds. I've had my Cuisinart Immersion Blender for 30 years!
- If you prefer to use a blender, make sure you only fill it about ½ way. Hot soup will expand when it blends, and it can explode through the top of the blender (I've done it)! Only blend in small batches, and use a good blender. Here's the one I use. Bonus — It has a soup setting, so you can cook your soup the night before, and then blend and heat the cold soup at the same time.
- If you have extra time, roast your acorn squash in the oven. It's 100% optional, but it will add some extra caramelized deliciousness to the squash which makes this soup even yummier.
- If you want to make this soup vegan, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and garnish it with non-dairy sour cream.
Recipe
Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Apple & Peanut
Ingredients
- 1 medium acorn squash 1 ½ lb.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 2 medium celery stalks diced
- 1 medium green apple peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon minced ginger jarred
- 1 med serrano pepper seeds and membranes removed, diced
- ¾ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- 3.5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock for vegan
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons roasted, salted pepitas (to garnish)
- optional sour cream (to garnish)
Instructions
- Cut the acorn squash into quarters lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place it in a baking dish with 1" of water. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.Alternatively, roast the squash for 40 minutes at 350°F and set aside to cool.
- In a Dutch oven, combine the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, apple, ginger, garlic, and serrano pepper, and saute over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add the allspice, cumin, and cloves. Stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken or vegetable stock, and the cooked squash (flesh only) to the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, and then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat, and using an immersion blender, blend for 45 seconds, or until smooth.
- Stir in the peanut butter. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Garnish with pepitas and sour cream if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Do you even add peanut butter to savory foods? Tell me which ones!
Eat well!