Total time of 1.5 hours includes roasting the squash. It you already have the squash puree', then you can make this dish in 30 minutes.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small skillet, toast the seeds over a medium low heat until lightly toasted. (See detailed instructions at end of post)
Kabocha substitutes – You can make this soup with butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.
Roasting the squash – I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t remove the seeds from squash before roasting. I find that they are much easier to remove after roasting. Also, some things that I’ve read say that they add flavor during the roasting process. Not quite sure about that one, but it makes sense.
Making this a weekday soup – On Sunday you could roast the squash while doing other things around the house. Once done and cooled, remove the seeds, scoop out the pulp and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the soup. The soup comes together in less than 45 minutes once the squash is roasted. You could also just make the soup on the weekend and have it a couple of times during the week.
Toppings – I’ve tried a variety of toppings and the best by far are toasted pumpkin seeds. Peanuts made it taste too much like peanut butter soup, toasted coconut flakes died in the soup and didn’t add much to the flavor, and cheese didn’t work at all.
Vegan – To make this soup vegan, use vegetable broth, omit the butter and increase olive oil to 2 Tbsp.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen