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Kabocha Squash and Apple Soup with Ginger and Curry

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

60 mins

Serves

4-6

Ingredients

  •  1 kabocha squash, quartered and seeds removed
  • 2 honeycrisp apples, cored and cut in half 
  • 5 medium carrots 
  • 3 shallots, cut in half 
  • 5 cups vegetable broth 
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder 
  • 1.5 tsps minched ginger 
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • Salt and pepper 
  • Crème fraîche finishing (optional) 
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

Steps

1

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large sheet tray with foil. Arrange squash, apples, carrots and shallots on the tray. Spray or brush 2 teaspoons olive oil all over both sides of the vegetables and season generously with salt and pepper. Once the oven is preheated, cook for 40-45 mins or until squash is very tender. 

2

In a large Dutch oven heat remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil on medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger followed by curry powder. Cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and slightly browned. Be careful not to burn and then take off the burner. 

3

Once the squash and vegetables are cooked, remove from the oven. Allow them to cool slightly, then carefully pull off the squash and shallot skins and add to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. 

4

Add blended squash and vegetables to the Dutch oven with the ginger and garlic. Add in vegetable broth and vinegar and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour. Stirring occasionally. 

5

Take the soup off the heat and allow to cool before straining the soup through a fine mesh strainer. This removes any large pieces of ginger. Return to the Dutch oven to reheat if serving immediately or place in a glass storage dish if you’re making this is advance (which I recommend!). Top with garnishes and enjoy!

Autumnal soup of your dreams.

I’m just going to go on record that this is my favorite soup. It’s silky, creamy and decadent and just happens to be vegan. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also super easy. Any soup that starts out with roasting any of the components is a soup for me! 

I tried using less ginger as well as pressing the ginger through a garlic press. I found that I preferred the flavor the most when I sautéed the garlic and ginger and then strained it out before serving. The flavor infused the soup without being too overwhelming and the texture was perfectly smooth after straining. Think of it like tea bags. They infuse flavor and then you remove them at a certain point or else your tea is going to be way too strong and unenjoyable. Ginger can really overpower and I wanted to clearly taste all of the flavors in this soup. 

The result is a slightly sweet, slightly tart, creamy squash-forward soup with subtle ginger and curry to compliment the rich roasted vegetables. After everything is combined and the ginger is strained, taste the soup and add more salt and pepper to taste. If you’re making this soup in advance (which I always recommend whenever possible) then know that the flavor will develop so much more and too much salt will become evident. Go slightly under with the seasoning and it will land in the perfect spot after a day in the fridge. 

Although the base of this soup is vegan, I do like to garnish with a drizzle of melted crème fraîche or sour cream to add to the creamy deliciousness, but you could also use one of the vegan dairy substitutes. Toasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro are also two other garnishes that I think really elevate the flavor and texture of this soup. I love a crunchy soup topping!

Pair with an ice cold light beer and serve alongside chicken wings and French bread pizzas for a very nostaligic Friday night appetizer dinner.