Getting kids to eat their veggies is sometimes a challenging task, but it can be easier when they help prepare the meal. And when the meal tastes like pumpkin pie in a bowl...well, yum. A perfect meal for a cold December evening.
This soup is extremely easy to make and easy to tweak to your own personal taste.
Here's what you need:
1 Butternut squash
1 cup milk or cream
1/4 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Here's what you do:
1. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
2. Place the squash cut-side-down in a baking dish. Fill the dish with about 1/2 inch of water.
3. Cook the squash at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. You want the squash to be very soft.
4. Spoon the cooked squash out of the skin into a blender. You can run the cooked squash under cold water to make it easier to touch (the inside portion will still remain warm).
5. Pour milk into blender. You can add cream if you want a thicker, creamier soup. You can add more or less milk/cream depending on your taste.
6. Add remaining ingredients. Again, feel free to vary the amounts depending on your personal taste preferences.
7. Blend 'em all together 'til they're all nice and smooth.
8. Eat!
So I tried this tonight, and it was not exactly a success... I followed the directions exactly (except using soy milk since my girls are allergic to milk) and it came out more like paste than soup. So then I added some more soy milk, probably another full cup or more before it was even close to soup consistency, but then it was too bland. So I added some more cinnamon and brown sugar, but that didn't help much. Not sure if it was because I used soy milk, or if I didn't cook the squash long enough to make it soft enough, but it just ended up with a strange consistency and flavor. Any ideas or tips for if I try again?
ReplyDeleteWell it's definitely a thick soup, but definitely not bland. How weird. To adjust the thickness, I usually just add more milk just like you did. I wouldn't think soy milk would change it at all. When I cook the squash it comes out super soft, so soft I can practically remove it from the skin with my fingers. I'm sorry to hear it didn't turn out for you. Now I have a challenge...in the next week or so I'll try a vegan version of this and see if I can get it to work. Sorry you were disappointed :-(
ReplyDeleteThanks Shannon! I am not exactly talented in the kitchen, so it's not surprising I didn't get it on the first try. I think maybe that particular squash just needed to be cooked a bit longer, because it was soft, but not super soft like you described. I will probably give it another shot sometime this week and see if I have better luck. :)
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