Sweet 'n Spicy Acorn Squash Soup, a creative rendition of sweet meets savory in a luscious medley of robust flavors and creamy vevety texture leaving your tastebuds delightfully stimulated!
Song of the day "Mysterious Ways" by U2.
Sweet 'n Spicy Acorn Squash Soup, a flavorful experience combining spicy roasted veggies including acorn squash and taking the heat off a bit using Penotti®'s Cookie Notti Crunchy, creating a wonderfully balanced array of flavors and textures.
Sweet 'n spicy has always been a favorite flavor profile of mine. I love the way the two balance each other out and create this wonderfully interesting feeling on the palate. This is our last creation in the series of recipes using the wonderful Penotti® products. It has been a real pleasure creating and thinking outside the box making interesting and so delicious dishes. Nicoletta has done wonders on the sweet baking side of things, and I wanted to end on a surprise note using the all natural cookie spread in a savory way this time using Penotti®'s Cookie Notti Crunchy. The chicken satay was amazing, and the Belgian waffle to die for , but this time we are going all out comfort and created a soup that has so many levels of flavor and spice, and a smooth sweet edge that cuts that heat enough to make it a pleasant experience, and help us warm up as winter is still making itself present in our neck of the woods.
There is nothing better when a snowstorm is hitting than to be savoring a warm bowl of this Sweet 'n Spicy Acorn Squash Soup.
There are not a plethora of veggies gracing the stands at the market, but rest assured when winter is upon us, root vegetables plus the squashes are a guaranteed commodity. I personally love squash, it is versatile and so good, especially in soups. I had an acorn squash calling out to me from our pantry and I was thinking of what recipe I wanted to do to end off our series with Penotti®. Strong in my mind was a savory dish and then lightbulb moment "soup". This would be a great way to combine sweet and savory and then I thought of the flavor profiles coming together, I knew that the squash along with some rutabaga, onions, heritage carrots, garlic, and the surprise Penotti®'s Cookie Notti Crunchy would partner well with everything I was doing with this dish.
To intensify and build the flavors I roasted all the veggies adding garlic and spices to elevate the profile. I love how roasting them brings out this caramelization and the aromas of this medley are incredible, so robust and not to mention colorful. I can only imagine how it is going to taste when it all has a chance to mingle in the pot.
Look at those charred bits and roasting all the vegetables together in one pan creates a unity and balance in flavor yet having plentiful textures to tantalize our taste buds. I had to steal a carrot just to make sure it was seasoned properly, wow love those exotic spices! I used a vegetable stock and cream to help thin out the blend and create a beautiful smoothness to this Sweet 'n Spicy Acorn Squash Soup.
The amazing aroma is filling the kitchen and my mouth is watering. I can't wait to dive in spoon and all and have a taste. After pureeing the soup and having a quick taste, after all, we have to make sure it is good, there was something missing, a textural element not to mention a garnish. First of all to break up the color a bit but also to spark some interest in our mouths. It hit me, a thought that is, why not whip up some tempura batter and toss in chopped green onion, and that is exactly what I did, and I have to tell you some of those crispy sweet oniony bits went missing, cannot imagine where they could have gone, lol.
The flavors of this soup are amaxzing, the garam masala that I seasoned the veggies with subtly comes in with that exotic touch that it has, the rutabaga and the squash are incredible with their earthy sweetness and to kick it up just a few notches, there is this backdrop of red curry paste. I love the way those charred bits on the carrots and onions lend itself to provide a bit of smokiness to the mix. There is some citrus notes that the lime leaves so kindly released and some acidic sweetness from the balsamic cream, as this soup was simmering. That unmistakable pepperiness of the bay leaf joins the spice train along side the chili flakes, and garam masala which just play with our tongue. Then there is this smooth vanilla, buttery sweet note that just brushes the spiciness in a most balanced and serene way as it soothes that kick softening its blow gracefully.
I absolutely love this soup. My tastebuds are having a grand old time playing with all the flavors and textures, and what is really amazing are those crispy tempura green onions. They stay so crunchy and it is so delightful to the tongue as the smoothness of the soup lingers in the palate then out of nowhere this crunch and release of that sweet green onion, juicy flavor explodes on your tastebuds ending things off on a high note.
If you are craving a Sweet 'n Spicy dish and winter is still knocking on your door there is only one thing to do, don't answer the door, get into the kitchen and make up a pot of this hearty, comforting and ever so delicious Sweet 'n Spicy Acorn Squash Soup! Don't forget to stock up your pantry with all the amazing all natural Penotti® products, the brand definitely with a choice! The brand that we choose!
I wanted to say thank you to Andrea and Marcus and the people at Penotti® for allowing us to be creative and adventurous with their products. It has been a lot of fun using your vast variety of great products, we are truly huge fans!
Song of the day: "Mysterious Ways" by U2.
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Sweet 'n Spicy Acorn Squash Soup
Sweet 'n Spicy Acorn Squash Soup, a creative rendition of sweet meets savory in a luscious medley of robust flavors and creamy velvety texture leaving your taste buds delightfully stimulated!
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 medium acorn squash
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 small shallot
- 1 small rutabaga
- 8-10 heritage multi-colored carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons Penotti®Cookie Notti Crunchy
- splash sesame oil
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 lime leaves
- ½ teaspoon of balsamic glaze
- fine sea salt to taste
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
- ¼ cup tempura flour
- ⅛ cup of ice cold water
- 2 green onion stalk chopped into rounds
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375° F.
- Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds and pulp.
- Peel, clean and wash carrots, and roughly cut place in a bowl.
- Peel rutabaga and cut into large cubes and toss in a bowl with carrots.
- Roughly chop onion and shallots and toss in the bowl with other veggies.
- Pour in ½ the olive oil and dust with garam masala, paprika, chili flakes, salt, and pepper, reserving some of the seasonings for the squash and toss well and spread vegetables out on a parchment lined baking pan.
- Drizzle remaining olive oil into squash halves and season with remaining garam masala, paprika, chili flakes, sea salt, and pepper. Take garlic and press garlic a bit and toss into the center of the squash. Place squash flesh side down on the baking sheet with all the other vegetables and put in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Place roasted vegetables, spices, juices and all into a large soup pot, scoop out flesh from the squash and add it to the pot too.
- Spoon in red curry paste, and Penotti® Cookie Notti, drizzle sesame oil and mix well.
- Turn heat to a low to medium heat setting and add in vegetable stock, bay leaves, lime leaves and let simmer for about 30 minutes stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- While soup is simmering, mix up some tempura batter adding the cold water to the tempura flour a little at a time until you get a nice thick slowly running consistency.
- Cut up green onions into small rounds, toss in tempura batter.
- Heat up some canola oil in a medium pot to 360° F. Put enough oil in the pot so that the green onion can submerge. Place a spoonful of the tempura battered green onion into the oil, stir a bit and cook until golden and crispy. Take out and place on a paper towel lined plate, set aside.
- Back to the soup, drizzle in balsamic cream and heavy cream and stir. Take off heat and with an emersion blender blend until the soup becomes smooth and velvety. If it seems too thick you can add some water or even vegetable stock if you have some left.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with a spoonful of the tempura green onion and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
- Ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use other types of squash too, be adventurous.
- If you do not like it too spicy, back off on the chili flakes and garam masala.
- If you want to make this vegan use cashew cream instead of the heavy cream.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: vegetarian
- Cuisine: Fusion
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
Love all the flavours goin' on here with the garam masala and curry pasta. Never would have though to add the Cookie Notti. I do love sweet/savoury, sweet/salty combos so I know this would definitely go over well with me! Perfect warmer-upper, especially considering that it's so cold here still! Happy Monday!
Thank you Dawn, I was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes in creativity we go out on a limb with an idea and hope for the best. It is so relieving when it works out so well and is so delicious. The cookie notti balanced so well with the squash and rutabaga and all those spices. I am a happy cook because I know it brought smiles to people faces that had the chance to taste it.
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Loreto
The Movement Menu says
Oh this Squash soup looks so healthy and delicious...wish i had some right now!
Thank you, we wish we could share some with you too, that would be really beautiful. Here at sugarlovespices we love sharing our creations and those who are close to us recieve many gifts. Thanks a million for looking at this recipe and sharing some nice words.
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Loreto
Ashima says
I love squash soups and the sweet and spicy flavours. Totally agree with you that the two really balance each other and create a beautiful medley of flavours. And the tempura green onions must add such a nice crunch to smooth soup!
Thanks for sharing
Hi Ashima, to answer your question, the tempura green onion was amazing. They stayed nice and crisp and really surprised your tastebuds. I absolutely loved the dichotomy of flavor and that smokiness of the roasted vegetables added yet another level of flavor!.
Thank you for taking time to check out our recipe and if you get a chance pick up some of the Penotti products they are truly amazing!.
have a wonderful week!
Cheers!
loreto
Michelle Barsness says
This is most definitely a flavor explosion! I love to roast my veggies for soups too. Soooo good that way. The addition of the Penotti®Cookie Notti Crunchy is very clever! Great idea.
Thank you Michele, I like to be adventurous when it comes to cooking and using unusaul ingredients to obtain a duiverse profile is always exciting, especially when it is as delicious as this soup was. Thank you for you lovely comment, and have a great day!
Cheers!
loreto
Savita says
What a delish combo. I love making squash soups with spicy flavors so this soup is making me hungry for bowl of soup. Thanks for a delicious reminder.
Hi Savita you are so welcome, it is a soup with a wonderful array of flavors.
annelawton says
What a beautiful looking bowl of soup! I love sweet and spicy too, I bet this is delicious.
Hi Anne I just have to say it was really delicious but would love for you to tru making it so you can experience its amazing flavours and textures. Thanks a bunch for checking our recipe out!
Happy cooking!
Loreto
mildlymeandering says
This soup sounds so incredible! I can't wait to give it a try!
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
The roasted bits of veggies are SO GOOD - I bet the natural sweetness of those pairs beautifully with the rest of the ingredients in this soup. What a fun use for cookie butter!
Thank you, I love being creative and adventurous with ingredients. You are right on roasting the veggies it elevates the flavors in such a huge way making them even more delicious in the soup. The incredible thing is thata they never take over the main ingredient and spoon after spoon you are tasing that wonderful acorn squash.
Have a great week.
Cheers!
Loreto
Leslie Haasch says
I LOVE a good acorn squash soup, but they do tend to be a little on the bland side. Adding spices is an awesome idea to kick it up a notch!
Thank you Leslie, you are so right the spice adds such a nice kick to the mix and that cookie spread brings a little sweetness to the blends blowing our taste buds senses!
Have a great day!
Loreto
karyld2016 says
I'm a big texture eater, so it's always hard for me to eat roasted squash because it's mushy. I wouldn't even have to worry about that with this soup! Pinning this recipe for sure
Thank you, you will love those crispy green omion bits amongst that creamy velvety soup texture!
Happy cooking
Cheers!
Loreto
babylovesberry says
A great balance of sweet and spicy is something i appreciate in food a lot! Roasting veggies for soup is awesome too
Thank you, that is the joy of cooking experimenting, facing fears and most of all feeling free and joyous to create, above all else having fun! Thank you for commenting.
Have a wonderful week!
Cheers!
Loreto
Jenni LeBaron says
There are so many layers of flavor in this soup. I'm unfamiliar with Penotti® Cookie Notti but I love many of the other elements of this dish, so I bet I would be a big fan.
Hi Jenni, I highly recomend if you can to try and find the Penotti products. When we say we love the product it is totally true. Its all natural and delicious and we have done numerous recipes if either sweet or savory and they were all very good. If you cannot find the penotti product apple butter or even a plump jam would work in this recipe to bring the ssweet element. Thank you for lcommenting.
Cheers!
Loreto
Lois says
Such a delicious punch for soup. I love that you added a bunch delicious spices and flavors to the soup.
Thank you Lois, I love working with different spices and fusing cultural flavors together for a delicious end. You really have to try this soup it has so much flavor!
Happy cooking!
Loreto
jenny says
I just brought some acorn squash! Now I know to do with it 🙂