{meatless monday} — buttercorn squash soup

i am fully aware that “buttercorn” is not  a word… remember how i like to make up names for my dishes?!  well, this was no exception.

and i’m so fully in autumn mode it’s not even right.  and it’s not just because we got hit with some snow this week.  i’ve been ready now for weeks.  i thrive in the fall, i love this time of year!!  and yes, part of it is because i have a birthday approaching! 🙂  but i just love the food autumn brings.  i’m finally ready to put away the salad fork and bust out the soup spoon more often… i’m ready for root vegetables, squashes, potatoes, yams, and soups!!!!

squash was on sale a couple weeks ago – 10 pounds for 10 dollars.  so i snagged up 3 different kinds – spaghetti, acorn, and butternut.  i always use my spaghetti squash as pasta, so i knew what to do with that… and i was going to try to make the butternut squash as soup anyway – then i thought, well why can’t i just use BOTH kinds of squash in the soup?!

and so i did.

and as per usual, i kept it uber simple.

– 1 medium butternut squash

– 1 medium acorn squash

– 1 small sweet onion

– vegetable bouillon

begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.  slice your squashes in half…

and scoop out the ribs and seeds.  i’ve always wanted to try to bake the seeds – as you would with pumpkin seeds… they have to be edible, right?!

place your squash flesh-side down on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven. we will cook it for a good half hour…

i chose to try bouillon over veggie stock this time. i never really experiment with bouillons and i wanted to see how it effected the flavour.  plus, it’s easier to carry when i ride my bike to and from work. 🙂

use one cube per 2 cups water.

dissolve completely…

mmm, savour the aroma!

and go ahead and grab your crockpot if you have one… if not, get a large stovetop pan in which to make the soup.

you’ll know the squash is about done when you can put a fork through the skin… remove from heat and flip the squash over and let cool to the touch…

once you can handle the squash, scoop out the insides and add to your food processor along with your chopped sweet onion and vegetable broth from the bouillon. blend well into a liquid “soupy” consistency…

pour mixture into your crockpot or stovetop pan and add in a little S&P to taste. add in water to cut thickness if necessary…

and try not to make a disaster of a mess like i did…

Tags: autumn, butternut squash, comfort food, crockpot meals, easy, fall, food, healthy, meatless monday, recipes, seasonal, seasons, simple, soup, squash