Indian-Spiced Roasted Winter Squash Soup
I’ve been waiting for this week all summer.
You see, this was the last week of our CSA box.
I thought this day would never come.
I love the concept of community supported agriculture. I love eating local. I love eating what’s in season. I love that Farmer Bill drove to my house each Wednesday and we chatted about the weather.
But seriously:
Too. Much. Produce.
It makes me feel seriously icky how much food I couldn’t use. Such a horrible, greedy feeling. I rarely threw any away (shhh…no one asked you, beet greens, ground cherries or 36 green onions given to me to eat in seven days?!). But I was getting physically ill from trying to down massive quantities at a time just to make room in the fridge or not let it go to waste.
Case in point, five cucumbers in a forty minutes. It’s not just Felix who is fearless, people.
When the last box arrived this Wednesday, we were headed out the door for our weekend trip, so my weekly produce cleaning-and-putting-away-evening-o’-fun became my neighbor’s. After I snagged all the winter squash out of the box first.
So my weekly game of, “What the Heck Can I Make With This That Will Not Make My Family Ask, ‘Why Does Mommy Hate Us?’” just became a lightening round of “What Should I Make With This Delicious Winter Squash?”
I won.
And you can be a winner too.
If we go the CSA route again, I’ll definitely be finding another family to split the bill and the load with.
I’ll just make sure to sneak out all the winter squash for this soup (and let them keep the green onions).
Indian Spiced Roasted Winter Squash Soup
Inspired by this recipe from Cooking Light
Makes four 1 1/2 c. servings
***View Nutrition Facts***
- 1 c. yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 c. carrot, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 11/2 lbs. winter squash (butternut, acorn, Delicata, etc.) peeled, seeded and cubed*
- Drizzle of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 c. vegetable broth, divided
- 1 c. water
- 2 t. curry powder
- 1/2 t. garam masala
- 1/2 t. ground ginger
- 1/4 t. smoked paprika
- garnishes: non-dairy or organic plain yogurt, cilantro, dry roasted peanuts
*You can substitute two 14 oz. cans of pumpkin, sweet potato or butternut squash puree for roasted squash, if desired. Simply omit 1 c. of broth and 1/2 c. of water and add puree to blender with remaining roasted vegetables and 1/2 c. of water.
Preheat oven to 500°.
Arrange onion, carrots, garlic and squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss.
Roast for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, turning once. Cool for 10 minutes.
Combine vegetable mixture, 1 cup of broth, water, curry powder, garam masala, ginger and smoked paprika in a high-speed blender or food processor; pulse to desired consistency. Scrape mixture into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with swirls of yogurt of choice, cilantro and peanuts, if desired, before serving.
ooo this looks sooo good! (already pinned it
lol )
New commenter but long time reader.
(just wanted to say, I LOVE your tip for hummus where you shell the beans first, genius!)
-Caroline
Thank you, Caroline! So sweet of you to say hi. I need to make some hummus, stat.
I had the opposite problem. We got very little in our box, not enough to justify the cost. Four tiny carrots for a whole week, are you kidding? I will be sticking with going to local farms and the farmer’s market.
I’m afraid we’ll probably go that route too. Though I love the convenience.
Such pretty soup! I recently got the new cooking light cookbook for review and was so impressed with their recipes and their pics…and your soup proves it even more. Love the peanut garnishes! I want to pluck those out first and nibble away!
That’s what I always go for first, too!
This soup looks beautiful and sounds delicious. I love warming up with a bowl of spicy soup.
As to your complaints about the overabundance of food- I’m sure there is a soup kitchen or some other organization that could help relieve you of excess food, so it won’t go to waste or make you sick next time? I can’t help but point that out as there is great irony in the contrast between that and the banner on the side of this post- a hungry little girl holding an empty plate.
I totally agree. I actually gave most of the produce to my friend, Cary, who has four kids to feed and enjoys canning. Very little actually went to waste.
And the “ad”on the right is not a paid ad, but an banner I placed to highlight Compassion International and the organization’s efforts to end childhood hunger. I’d encourage you and everyone else to check them out!
Mmm this sounds so gorgeous! I made a really similar version after our Canadian Thanksgiving this year (Velvet Butternut Squash and Apple Soup – http://bit.ly/SCW1s4), when my mum brought me a CSA box’s worth of produce. That kind of thing gets me so giddy because I’m a huge nerd when it comes to fresh fruits and veggies, squash in particular, but like you I needed a way to use it before it went bad. Soup saves the day once again!
Thank you for the link…it looks delicious too!
it just looks like veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelvet!
Velveeta?
This sounds like such a comforting, warming meal. I’m loving all the winter squash and roasted veggie recipes floating around.
Well, we’ve talked about this before, but I totally hear you on the box. The hubs just walked in the door with ours about 15 minutes ago. It’s so hard to use up all the produce within a week, before the next box hits you. If I was an awesome canner or something, it would be so much easier to justify. I always feel SO bad about wasting so much food too. I don’t want it to go to waste, and we try to use it up. But, by the time we realize that it’s going bad, it’s usually past its prime and too late to take to a soup kitchen.
Conveniently, ours came with a winter squash last week. It is still sitting on my counter and still good. So, we will be having your soup ASAP. Thanks for the recipe!
I knew you’d understand
I also think you guys will love this soup! Tell Eric I bought the coffee so I won’t take his.
I ALWAYS make soup whenever I realize I have too much produce. It’s honestly the best solution. This looks fantastic by the way!
It is! Hope you’ll try it!
You threw out ground cherries?!? We can no longer be friends. And I will be speaking to Kim about her friendship choices. Amen. =D
Seriously, I would have driven to your town to get them. My plants did exactly nothing but leaf-out… So very sad.
Oh my gosh, where were you three months ago?! I would have kept you in ground cherries all summer long.
Next year, my dear, next year… Seriously, If you EVER have ground cherries multiplying I come to town often enough we may be able to be friends. =D
Deal.
Oh my gosh, I’m so happy someone else feels the same way!!! It is so stressful trying to eat everything! I’ve spent a lot of time making new things and they haven’t turned out very well. Doesn’t matter how I cook them, I just don’t like beets and their greens!
Our box comes for three more weeks
You can do it! Wish we were neighbors and we could just share next year.
hi! mmmm butternut. i love your little swirlies in the soup!!!
XOXO
Hi! I just showed Lulu the picture of us at dinner and she said, “She’s cute!” I totally agree.
Ha. I felt the same about the CSA – and felt guilty about it, like I wasn’t “good” at eating local! But you’re so right about splitting it. It was still great, just TOO MUCH FOOD for one household!
Amen.
I keep meaning to get a CSA box, but I have the fear that I would end up wasting veggies I’m not used to using trying to figure out what to do with it all!
A delicious heart and belly warming recipe! Such a big squash fan, definitely one to put on our “must make” list! Such a beautiful array of funky looking squash!!!
Totally belly warming. Hope you love it!
How’d you make those “yogurt curlies”?
I put the yogurt in a little piping bag. Fancy.
Thank you for this – I have been craving soup but wanted something with a little more kick to it. I think this works perfectly – and love the canned pumpkin option since I stocked up on it last year and still have some in my pantry.
I thought the yogurt squiggles were little tortellinis at first.
Mmmm…tortellini. I think I’m going to make the canned pumpkin version today and freeze it!
Too funny! I think I had a stomach ache all summer long from scarfing produce before it went bad. Sadly, I’m not part of a CSA, I just can’t be controlled at the local orchard.
Ha ha…that is awesome.
That soup looks yummy and I have a growing pile of squash and pumpkins on my counter right now that I need to use up over this winter. That soup is definitely going on the list
I think most people have a hard time with CSA boxes for many reasons. I bought a CSA share last year and I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat all of it and I wanted my parents to eat healthy so I gave them half our share all year as a birthday present to my mom. They really enjoyed it and they always picked out what they wanted to eat out of the box and left the rest for me, which I don’t mind because I like the challenge of figuring out what to make. However, I found CSA’s to be difficult in the sense that you can’t really meal plan until you get your box. We got our box on Tuesdays and it’s hard for me to meal plan and grocery shop during the week. One of the farmers that was a CSA grower last year decided to do her own thing this year. She had an order form online where you ordered exactly what you wanted and then picked it up from her stand at one of the local farmer’s markets. It’s a design-your-own-box concept. I also think it’s hard to know how to use all the produce when you don’t necessarily know what you are going to get, which is the beauty and challenge of CSA boxes. All in all, I love the popularity of CSAs, but I think there are some kinks that need to be worked out. I’m on the board for a local non-profit group that helps train new farmers and get farmers access to land so I’m very interested in growing the local food economies.
I love the idea of a design-your-own-box concept. I think growers would get a good idea of what their customers are using and what to grow more and less of. I really enjoyed reading your take on CSAs and your strategies for the shortcomings. Thanks for the discussion!
Curry makes my heart SING!!! Love it! But…soup…ugh! We are having a heat wave here in Orange County California again 80′s & 90′s where I live…the kids and I went swimming in our pool yesterday, mid-October…CRAZY! Perhaps when Mother Nature decides that FALL has ACTUALLY arrived where I live, I can bust out your yummo recipe, but for now we’re still doing summer food!
I make a roasted butternut/apple squash soup with curry that is about as easy peasy as yours.
That is crazy! It’s definitely Fall here now, so enjoy your sunshine while it lasts!
We split a half CSA share with another couple and it was still too much. I’m not sure we’ll do it again, or maybe find a different one. I gave away a lot of onions. I’ve been getting produce from a local coop that’s a better deal and I get more of what I can use.
I think I would have cried about those boxes. Or taken up canning, but probably after crying! My area has green bean delivery which lets you pick the size of your box, but I don’t think it’s the same as a CSA. We’ve discussed trying it out since we both love fruits and veggies. Just not enough to eat dozens of onions in a week!
My family wants an all fruit CSA. They snagged out the berries like candy and left me holding the kohlarabi.
We have so many butternut squashes to use up from the garden and I’m already tired of our usual roasted squash with sea salt & pepper {I never thought it would happen, but it has!} I’m really looking forward to trying this new spiced up recipe!!
So funny that you say that, because we are having roasted squash “fries” with dinner tonight
I’ll leave them with sea salt & pepper and think of you!
You could also add a little honey mustard to them! I LOVE them with that as a dipping sauce
Ok, now I’m going to have to do that for dinner too!!
Brilliant. I’m on it. Thanks, Andrea.
Just a suggestion for your butternut squashes….if you have too many to eat, you could try carving one like a pumpkin. I’m going to try that this year, but I’m not a skilled carver so we’ll see how good it turns out. (Sarah – I hope you don’t mind me giving out a website) If you go to homesteadsurvival dot blogspot dot com and search for butternut squash, I’m sure the carving picture will turn up. It’s so cool!
No problem on the link, Brooke. Thank you!
I used roasted sugar pumpkin and butternut squash, it was thick and delicious! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!
I love your speed in making these recipes and leaving fabulous feedback. Thank you, Sally!
I’m with you, girl. We belong to a CSA too, and as much as I love supporting our local farmers, there’s only so many beets and swiss chard one can eat before throwing in the towel and praying for the day you don’t have to pick up a weekly box. I think we still have 3 more weeks of ours (darnit!). Any ideas for fun ways to incorporate beets, leeks, tomatoes and swiss chard in a meal… preferably all the at the same time… pretty please!!!
My mom and aunt for the past 10 years have split a CSA box. It works great for them and it definitely makes the produce manageable.
I knew I should have had a sister…
This comment really has nothing to do with the recipe but… I just wanted to say thank you for having that Compassion International button on your page. It’s something I have been meaning to do for awhile and today I happened to see the other comment about them and was reminded I really wanted to sponsor a child. I’ve been having kind of a rough week but seeing that reminded me that I have so much that I take for granted when all these kids want is basic food and supplies
I picked a little boy named Jose and it’s his birthday today so if you would throw out an extra birthday prayer for him, that would be awesome 
Thank you for all you are doing to spread kindness (or for listening to what God wants you to do more accurately!) Thank you.
Oh, Kinley, bless you! You are doing so much to bring His Kingdom here, just by giving to sweet Jose. I’ll definitely say a prayer for him and for you today. Thank you for totally making my day (and Jose’s!).
Thank you! And I just hope he learns about the sponsorship today so he can get an extra birthday present
But I am guessing it might take awhile for them to get notified ?!
Have a good Thursday!
You too, girl.
Yummm! Perfect fall/winter soup! I love the spices you mixed in here to give it even more depth. The smoked paprika especially. Thanks!
HI! I’ve been reading your posts for awhile and really enjoyed many of your recipes. I have always admired how spiritual you are and how vital it is to a happy family. Your recent blog motivated me to tell you about a few books that impacted me, books I think you may enjoy reading too. Especially since you enjoy reading books that are very spiritually enlightening. They are “What does the Bible Really Teach?” and “Learning from the Great Teacher”(for the girls) I love these books they discuss meaningful questions we all ask in life which the Bible readily answers. You can download the books for free at http://www.jw.org
Thanks, Esther.
In an effort to keep people from being scared off of CSAs, they’re not all bad! Our CSA doesn’t do boxes, it does items. Our share is 10 items a week (they also have options for 5 or 20 items). An item might be one thing (a head of lettuce or garlic or a bunch of kohlrabi) or a weight (like a pound of carrots, potatoes or tomatoes). As a result, we get to pick what we want. 3 items worth of tomatoes because I’m obsessed? No problem. On the other hand, I never take parsnips, because I don’t like them. We also get an email in advance of pick up day, which helps me plan my meals–and after a couple years of CSA membership, you start to know what to expect when. Not all CSAs are created equal, but I adore ours.
Just made the recipe yesterday. It´s perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Oh my gosh! This is so good! Just finished making and eating this for lunch! So yummy!