I ate my first kabocha squash this winter and fell in love with the mild yet cozy flavor. Prior to this I’ve always stuck with butternut or delicata squash because they look less intimidating. But, you know me. I’m all about going out of my comfort zone and trying new ingredients in my kitchen so here we are with a kabocha squash soup that’s creamy, comforting and has a fabulous kick to it from the combination of cinnamon, curry powder and cayenne pepper I tossed in.
Soup feels like such a winter food yet as we near the end of March, the weather in Manhattan already feels like April in the 60’s with lots of sunshine, so I’m finding myself really wanting soup. And not just any soup- pureed creamy soup because it’s so easy to digest and it leaves me feeling so darn good.
Before you jump into this recipe, I highly suggest making sure your spices are fresh, meaning they’re not expired because the cinnamon, curry and cayenne literally make this soup. Check your expiration dates because there’s nothing worse than making a recipe with expired spices that yield really flat and tasteless recipes. I don’t want you experiencing this because it’s not fun. It’s easy to just toss spices into the back of our cabinet and forget about them for years but trust me, when you taste fresh spices in a recipe, you won’t need to add sugar or other inflammatory ingredients often used in soups to amp up the flavor.
Bon appetit.
And, before you go … I recently made this Peppered Kabocha Squash Soup over on my new website, AmieValpone.com if you’re looking for yet another kabocha squash soup recipe!
Making a creamy squash soup is quite easy because roasted squash yields a tender, flavorful and thick consistency, which here only needs unsweetened almond milk and spices to make it a meal.
Ingredients
- 1 large kabocha squash
- olive oil for rubbing squash
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 1/2 cups filtered water
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. curry powder
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon plus more to taste
- 2 tsp. fresh herbs such as oregano for garnish
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Rub the squash with the olive oil to cover the entire surface and use a fork to poke holes in the skin. Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 1 hour or until the squash is tender when you press on it with your hands.
-
Remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to slice the squash in half. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes then use a spoon to discard the seeds.
-
Scoop the squash flesh into a high speed blender along with the almond milk, water and spices. Puree until very creamy. Season to taste as needed. Garnish with oregano and serve warm.
-
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
