When the weather starts to cool down, my body begins to crave warm and comforting foods. I'm sure we all can say we love a good chili, soup, or stew when it's cold outside.
Squash, being abundant in harvest during the fall, brings us an opportunity to use some of the many varieties for recipes we love. Today, I had a craving for a thick soup. I bought a Honeynut squash a couple of weeks ago. This is a variety I had never heard of before. I thought I'd use it for a soup recipe along with some cubed butternut squash that I had in the freezer. I also had two white potatoes left in my refrigerator and decided to use those also.
Below is the recipe I invented this afternoon, and boy did it turn out good! I went a little crazy and strange with the seasonings but the soup tasted perfect—savory but with a slight sweetness.
I created this soup as I went along, so I hope my measurements listed below will enable yours to turn out delicious also. Happy fall!
1 honeynut squash
1 cup cubed butternut squash (thawed from frozen—precooked)
2 medium Idaho potatoes
½ of a large onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, pressed
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. cremini or portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp of sea salt (or to your taste)
Fresh ground black pepper (to your taste)
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Better than Bouillon Vegetable Soup Base—Low Sodium
16-24 ounces water
1. Wash, peel, and cut the ends off honeynut squash; then cut lengthwise into two pieces.
2. Wash, peel and cut potatoes in half or thirds.
3. Place about 1 cup water into bottom of InstantPot and add potatoes and squash.
4. Cook potatoes and squash with “Pressure Cook” setting for 25 minutes.
5. While squash and potatoes are cooking/resting, sauté the garlic, onions, and bell pepper in 2-3 tsp of olive oil/avocado oil/veggie broth until tender (your choice) and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh pepper.
6. Add the sliced mushrooms and all seasonings (including the soup base) and continue to sauté all mixing together until mushrooms are tender but not breaking apart.
7. Open InstantPot and being careful not to get hurt from the steam, use tongs or a wooden spoon to mush/mash the squash and potatoes and stir together; there should be some water left in the pot to help with blending.
8. Pour all the sauteed veggies with seasonings into the pot; add 16 ounces of water and stir.
9. Turn InstantPot on the Soup setting and cook for 25-30 minutes.
10. Allow for quick or slow release of steam after cooking.
This soup’s broth should be slightly thick and smooth with some small chunks of squash, and the mushrooms mostly intact.
This soup provides good amounts of beta-carotene (for Vitamin A), is low on the glycemic index, low in carbohydrates, and contains a good amount of fiber for a healthy gut. Enjoy!
Comments