share
print

Click here to see the related recipe

Simply Delicious Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Celery Root

by

It’s Fall! Homemade Soup you can easily make… healthy, warming and comforting.

Top with a swirl of yogurt, celery leaves and spiced pine nuts & pepitas
The perfect pick-me-up hearty soup with many nutritional assets

Silky smooth with some texture from the vegetables – this soup will warm you up on crisp fall and winter days.
Cinnamon sticks add a sweet aura of spice – and a hit of cayenne pepper adds the perfect kick.

Like Butternut Squash? Then you’ll love Honeynut Squash – it’s what I used in this recipe.
I found mine at the Cold Spring NY Farmers’ Market on the grounds of Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, NY.
Honeynut Squash might be difficult to find – check your local markets, and be on the look out!

The Honeynut resembles a butternut squash in shape, but is noticeably smaller. Honeynuts are typically four to five inches in length, while butternut squash are 10 to 11 inches.

Honeynut squash start off a deep green color and turn caramel color as they ripen – and tend to be sweeter than the butternut.

The Honeynut squash is a relatively new winter squash hybrid. Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York worked with Michael Mazourek, a plant breeder at Cornell University, to produce the squash. Using unique selection in the field and organic cross-pollination methods, Mazourek was able to produce and grow the honeynut squash.
Luckily, farmers across the country are now growing Honeynut squash.
The Honeynut is said to have roughly twice the amount of beta-carotene, a vitamin A precursor, than regular butternut.

A healthy, satisfying soup ~ celery root has a deep, concentrated earthy celery flavor… adding apples and apple cider lends the soup a tart essence.
A soup which is gluten-free and easily vegetarian – this depends on how you garnish it, and the broth you use.

To make ~ cut squashes in half and roast in a 375 degree oven until tender.
Sauté celery root, apples, leeks, cinnamon stick, turmeric, cayenne pepper and garlic.
Add homemade stock, bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are tender.
Peel the squash (skins will easily come off), cube, add to the pot and cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and puree half the soup, leaving the other half chunky. Or ~ puree the whole batch, it’s up to you!

Serve the soup in individual bowls. I like to top with a swirl of yogurt, celery leaves and spiced pine nuts & pepitas.

Vegetable-based soups are a great option nutritionally as they combine a high nutrient density with a low energy density – this means that we get lots of key nutrients including vitamins and minerals for relatively few calories.

Although butternut squash has been around just over half a century, one of the most well-known benefits of butternut squash nutrition is its high antioxidant load. All are a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and beta-carotene. One cup of cubed, baked butternut squash has 82 calories.

Soups that have a base of leeks, onions and celery are also particularly high in the mineral potassium.
Several studies have found that soup can make you feel fuller for longer, and research has shown that regular soup eaters have healthier body mass indexes.

Unlike summer squash, winter squash has really hard skins. I don’t mind peeling it and cubing it ~ yet roasting winter squash is so simple; the skin easily pulls away from the flesh and caramelizes nicely while roasting.

Enjoy the first flavors of fall.
Also – the perfect Thanksgiving Soup!
Karen

Ingredients for the soup
Honeynut Squash – a relatively new winter squash hybrid
Use the light greens and whites from leeks
Roast the squash halves cut side down until tender
The skins easily peel, then cut squash in chunks
Sauté Celery Root, Apples, Leeks, Cinnamon Sticks, Turmeric, Cayenne and Garlic
Add broth and cooked squash to the pot – then puree half of the soup
Spiced, toasted Pine Nuts & Pepitas and makes a nice, crunchy topping – swirl some yogurt on top for extra pizazz and flavor
Flavors of fall cooked together for a comforting and healthy soup

 

Categories:
Close Cookmode