This Easy Red Kuri Squash soup is creamy, a little smoky, and so delicious. Smoky cumin and black pepper add a hint of spice, and roasting the squash adds an extra flavor punch. If you have seen Red Kuri Squash and wondered how to use it, this is a great recipe. Only a few ingredients and you’ve got yourself an easy meal!
Try New Things-
It’s that time of year again, time for squash! They are so versatile, and they come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. I have worked with a number of varieties before, but Red Kuri Squash is new to me. It is so easy to cook with and has a lovely flavor!
Going out into the fields at a local farm to pick squash when the season is right is a favorite activity of mine. That’s exactly how I got the squash in these photos. There is something fulfilling about harvesting your own food, even if you didn’t actually grow it yourself.
I decided that I would try it in a soup, and it’s rather nice. My littlest loves most soups, and he gave it the thumbs up. I wasn’t sure if he would eat it, being that it’s new to him too. The lesson here is to try new things. You never know what you might like!
What is Red Kuri Squash?
These beautiful bright orange squash are a bit smaller than a basketball, and usually weigh about 3 to 4 pounds. The skin is on the thin side and it’s edible too.
The flesh of these squash is soft and slightly sweet, and it takes very well to roasting. They are easy to cut through and the seeds and pulp scoop out with almost no trouble at all.
Important Tips for The Soup
This is a really easy soup! The ingredient list is simple and short, and substitutions can be made to make this vegetarian or vegan.
I think roasting the squash imparts the best flavor, and that is the cooking method I recommend here.
If you are trying to do some meal prep, the squash can be roasted ahead of time and stored in a gallon freezer bag in the refrigerator.
A standard blender works fine if you don’t have an immersion blender. You will need to puree the soup in batches if you are using this method, though.
Serving Suggestions and Substitutions
Honestly, I think soup never had a better partner than a grilled cheese sandwich, and this one is no exception. This is great paired with grilled cheese! It makes a nice light dinner, and it reheats well if you have leftovers.
A salad would be lovely with this too, such as my Arugula Salad with Parmesan, Pear, and Pecans. The smoky note from the cumin in the soup would work nicely with some crumbled cooked bacon on top if you want to add a little protein.
To make this a vegetarian or vegan soup, simply switch out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and use coconut milk instead of cream.
I realize that Red Kuri Squash may not be available to everyone, so Acorn, Butternut, or Kabocha would be a nice replacement in this recipe.
If you want to omit the Cumin for another spice, you could use curry powder, but I would add this sparingly and keep tasting until it’s the right heat level for you. If you want to use herbs instead, fresh thyme and sage are lovely also.
This soup will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. It can be frozen too, but try to use it within a couple of weeks after freezing. The recipe is easily doubled or even tripled to make a large batch for a crowd.
I hope you enjoy this easy recipe for Red Kuri Squash Soup, and if you did, please leave a rating or comment below and share with your friends on Social Media! To get the latest updates on the blog as well as other Copper Table Community news, be sure to sign up for my newsletter using the form below. Happy Cooking!
Easy Red Kuri Squash Soup
Ingredients
For the Squash
- One 3- 3 1/2 pound Red Kuri Squash, seeds and pulp removed (should yield around 3 cups of squash when cooked)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil
For the Soup
- 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 small Yellow Onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 stalk Celery, chopped
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground Cumin
- 3 cups Chicken Broth (homemade or low sodium store bought)
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees. While the oven heats, cut the stem from the squash and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Cut each half of the squash into wedges about an inch to an inch and a half wide at the widest point.
- Place the squash on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil and season with 1 tsp Salt and 1/2 tsp Black Pepper.
- Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the thickest part of the squash wedges pierce easily with a fork.
- While the squash bakes, chop the onion and celery.
- When the squash is done baking, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- While the squash cools, heat a stock pot or dutch oven on medium heat. Once the pot is warmed, add the 1 Tbsp of oil and the onion and celery to the pot and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While the onion and celery cook, remove the skin from the squash by carefully cutting it from the flesh with a knife. The squash will be quite soft so this should be fairly easy.
- Once the skin is removed, add the squash to the pan and stir.
- Add the chicken broth and 2 tsp Salt and 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper and 1/2 tsp Cumin.
- Turn up the heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until the squash is smooth.
- Add the 1/4 cup heavy cream at the end and stir. Serve.
Notes
You can puree the soup in a standard blender in batches if you don't have an immersion blender.
Vegetable broth may be used instead of chicken broth.
Coconut milk may be used in place of heavy cream.
Pumpkin, Butternut, or Acorn Squash may be used instead of Red Kuri.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 2455mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 5gSugar: 12gProtein: 6g
All information presented and written within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietitian and any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline. Statements within this site have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is provided for recipes contained on this site. This information comes from online calculators. Although The Copper Table attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Yummy, perfect for the fall season!