Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Kale and Chili-Roasted Seeds
 
 
Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Kale and Chili-Roasted Seeds Author: Lisa Colburn Stewart Fresh vegetables from the autumn farmers market are blended into a warming soup with bright colors, flavors and textures.
Author:
Ingredients
  • For soup:
  • 3 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 butternut squash, 1½ lbs.
  • 1 firm, tart apple (green Granny Smith is a great cooking apple), peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium Japanese (white) turnips, scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch cubes
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3-4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Sea salt and pepper, to taste
  • ¾ cup heavy cream or coconut milk (optional)
  • For Crispy Kale:
  • 1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, dried and cut into 1-2-inch pieces
  • 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-3 teaspoons sea salt
  • For Chili-Roasted Seeds:
  • Seeds from the butternut squash, rinsed and dried in a clean towel or paper towel
  • 1-2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • Olive oil, to coat
  • Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Prepare the butternut squash*:
  3. Using a sharp knife, cut off each stem end. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel. Set the squash upright on the cutting board and cut in half. Spoon out seeds and reserve. Then lay each side down flat on the board. Cut each halve into 4 long slices then cut crosswise to create ½-inch cubes.
  4. Prepare the soup:
  5. Place butter or oil into a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions. Sauté until onions are translucent and tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  6. Add the carrot, butternut squash, apple, turnips, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, cover and lower heat to medium low or low so that vegetables very gently simmer. Cook for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are beginning to become tender and release juices into the pan.
  7. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, cover and allow to gently simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes.
  8. Using a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth.** Return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.. Add cream or coconut, if desired. Heat barely simmering until warm.
  9. Prepare Crispy Kale:
  10. Spread kale out in a single layer onto a sheet pan, toss with olive oil and salt, to taste.
  11. Roast in 400-degree oven for about 7 minutes until you see the leaves flatten to the pan but still green, with brown edges. Everyone's oven is slightly different. Keep a close eye the first few times to be sure of timing.
  12. Prepare Chili-Roasted Seeds:
  13. Toss seeds with olive oil, then a light coating of chili powder and a sprinkling of salt. Roast in the 400-degree oven until seeds are lightly browned and crispy, about 7-10 minutes.
  14. To Serve, spoon soup into bowl and stop with shards of crispy kale and sprinkle with roasted seeds.
Notes
*If you prefer, you can roast the butternut squash whole until tender enough to cut and peel easily. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place squash onto a large sheet pan. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning over halfway through. Test and see if a knife easily pierces the squash. If so, remove. Sometimes the bulbous end cooks faster than the narrow section. Remove from the oven and the squash is much easier to cut. Anything not fully tender will finish cooking in the soup. When hot enough to handle, remove ends, cut in half, remove and reserve seeds, separate the flesh from the peel and cube.
**Puree the soup in a blender in batches and cover lid with a towel. The heat can make the soup expand, splatter and possibly pop the lid so smaller amounts works best.
***To prepare kale: Once home from the market, prep kale until ready to use. With each leaf, grab the stem from the back and with your other hand, stripping the leaf away from the stem. Rinse leaves well then wrap with a clean dry towel or paper towels and place in a plastic bag until ready to use.
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Recipe by FamilyandForks at https://www.familyandforks.com/butternut-squash-soup-crispy-kale-chili-roasted-seeds/