Roasted Blue Hubbard Squash Soup with Apples and Ginger

Vegan Savory-Sweet, Silken Textured Roasted Blue Hubbard Squash Soup ♥♥♥

Soup weather and winter squash are made for one other. Their time is now. As, peak season for winter squash (and apples, too) begins in the fall and continues right on through January. Fall’s savory and spice-rich flavors, along with winter squash, new crop apples, fresh ginger and a hint of maple syrup combine forces to make a most comforting and satisfying pot of Roasted Blue Hubbard Squash Soup.

Enjoy this savory-sweet, silken textured soup during these cooler fall and winter months when you can find the best winter squash. Whether you choose a kabocha, butternut, buttercup, red kuri, banana or Stella Blue, they will all be delicious.

Blue Hubbard Squash

In the past, I might have admired and then walked past a typical Blue Hubbard squash as being much too big to handle. A typical Blue Hubbard grows to about 12 inches in diameter and weighs in between 11 – 25 or more pounds. Definitely too big to handle.

Change was in the air at this year’s last summer farmers market. My favorite farmers had Baby Blue Hubbard squash on display. They stood out from the rest of the display with their unusual shape and dusty green color. Intrigued, though knowing nothing about them, I purchased one.

That Baby Blue Hubbard squash sat on our kitchen counter for almost a month as I considered how I would cook it.  Then, last week its time had come. Its deeply golden orange flesh became the foundation for a most deliciously comforting pot of soup.

Weighing in at around 5 pounds, Baby Blue Hubbard Squash have become my new favorite winter squash. As a cross between sweet Buttercup squash and large Blue Hubbard, Baby Blues are delightfully sweet, dense, rich and flavorful.

Homemade Squash Soup Stock

For the best tasting soup stock for Roasted Blue Hubbard Squash Soup, do make your own. Include the squash seeds and its surrounding membrane in the stock. To easily remove them from the squash, use a sharp, serrated edge paring knife. Make a cut around the membrane. Once done, ta dah! A spoon easily removes both the squash seeds and membrane.

For the stock, place the following in a large pot:

• the squash seeds and membrane
• leek greens
• coarsely chopped onion, celery and carrots
• smashed garlic
• parsley stems
• thyme
• bay leaves
• kombu seaweed (for texture and minerals)
• Whole peppercorns, coriander and fennel seeds
• 14 cups water

Bring the stock to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for one hour. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, discarding the solids. Use the stock immediately, refrigerate it for a couple of days, or freeze it for up to 6 months.

More Favorite Winter Squash Recipes
Appetizer, Salad, Soups, Sides, Mains

Roasted Blue Hubbard Squash Soup with Apples and Ginger

• Savory-Sweet, Silken Textured Blue Hubbard Squash Soup – Delicious, Healthy and Vegan, too.
• For the best tasting soup stock for Roasted Blue Hubbard Squash Soup, do include the squash
  seeds and its surrounding membrane in your homemade stock.
• Can’t find Baby Blue Hubbard Squash? Choose another variety of winter squash, such as Stella Blue, Butternut, Buttercup, Kabocha, etc. Or, perhaps a 5-pound section of a Banana or Blue Hubbard squash.

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Total Time about 2 hours including preparing the stock and roasting the squash

Ingredients

• 1 5-pound Baby Blue Hubbard Squash, halved
• 4 cups ⅓-inch sliced leeks (white part only)
• 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
• ½ cup thinly-sliced carrot
• ⅓ cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
• 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
• 2 or more Gala or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cut into rough ½ -in dice (3 cups)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• Dozen twists freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 11 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade and unsalted

Herb and Spice Sachet

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 5 fresh parsley stems
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 5 whole allspice
• 1 cinnamon stick

Optional Garnish

• Drizzle of maple syrup
• Pinch of Aleppo pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Thinly sliced chives or scallions

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper lightly sprayed with oil. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and membrane. (Remember to add them to your homemade stock for squash soup.) Bake cut side down, about 30-35 minutes, until tender. When the squash is cool enough to handle, remove the skin, reserving the flesh.
2. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Cook the leeks and carrot for 12 minutes, stirring often. Add the fresh ginger, garlic, apples, salt and pepper and cook 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the maple syrup and cook another 2 minutes. Add 9 ½ cups of the vegetable stock along with the herb and spice sachet. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat so that it simmers for 10 minutes. Stir in the roasted squash. Simmer partially covered for 25 minutes to blend the flavors. Discard the sachet.
4. Blend the soup in batches until smooth and creamy. Use the remaining stock to clean any remaining soup from the sides of the blender jar. Then, add this to the soup pot. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve Roasted Blue Hubbard Squash Soup with Apples and Ginger garnished with a drizzle of maple syrup, a pinch of Aleppo pepper, a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg, and a sprinkle of thinly-sliced chives or scallions.

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