Recipes

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

Cool autumn days call for warm soup. Pears lend sweetness; lightly roasting the squash adds nutty depth. I finish it with cream, spiced pumpkin seeds and kale pesto—like basil pesto, with kale replacing basil and pumpkin seeds replacing pine nuts. Try it made with honeynut squash, a smaller, richer-flavored relative of butternut, if available.

Yield
Serves 4-6
Prep
30 minutes
Cook
1 hour
Total Time
1 hour

Ingredients

Soup

1 medium butternut squash (3 lb), peeled, seeded and cubed

3 tbsp olive oil, divided;

1 onion, diced;

2 pears, peeled, cored and chopped;

2 garlic cloves, chopped;

1 tsp thyme leaves;

4 cups Chicken or vegetable broth;

½ cup Cream;

1–2 tsp cider vinegar; salt and pepper.

Kale pesto

4 packed cups de-stemmed kale

¼ cup roasted, pumpkin seeds;

1 small garlic clove;

½ cup olive oil

¼ tsp salt

Spiced pumpkin seeds

¼ cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds;

1 tsp olive oil;

¼ tsp smoked paprika;

⅛ tsp ground cumin;

pinch each cayenne and salt.

Preparation

Soup

1. Roast. Toss squash with 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet; roast at 400°F for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until tender and lightly golden.

2. Simmer. Saute the onions and garlic, in remaining oil, 6–8 minutes. Add pears and thyme cook 5 minutes. Add squash and broth; simmer 15 minutes.

3. Purée. Blend smooth with an immersion blender. Stir in cream and vinegar to taste; season. Thin with broth as needed.

Kale pesto

Blanch kale in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Chill in ice water; drain and squeeze dry. Blend with remaining ingredients until smooth, adding water by the tablespoon as needed.

Spiced pumpkin seeds

Toss together; spread on a baking sheet. Roast at 325°F for 10–15 minutes, stirring once, until lightly golden. Cool.

To serve: Swirl a spoonful of kale pesto into each bowl and sprinkle with spiced pumpkin seeds.