Easy Red Kuri Squash Soup
Easy Red Kuri Squash Soup- I bet you have seen red kuri squash at the grocery store or at the pumpkin patch and wondered what they are, and if they are good to cook with. Well they are, and I am sharing with you an easy recipe that makes perfect use of them!
What You’ll Love About This Red Kuri Squash Recipe
First of all, this soup is really easy to make! It reheats beautifully if you have leftovers, or you want to take it with you to work for lunch.
The smokiness of the cumin pairs nicely with the sweetness of the squash, and the soup has a smooth velvety texture.
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 until you are ready to make the soup, or the soup can be made ahead and served later.
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?
Red Kuri is also known as orange Hokkaido. These beautiful bright orange squash are a bit smaller than a basketball, and usually weigh about 3 to 4 pounds. The skin is thinner than you’d find on a pumpkin 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.
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 used in this recipe. I harvested these at a local organic farm where I have worked the fields myself! When I worked at the farm, I learned so much about different varieties of produce and I love sharing tips with you! In fact, I have a whole section of the site devoted to fresh fruits and veggies that you should visit!
Working with fresh local produce and making homemade dishes you can feel great about is why I created this blog. Helping people work with farm fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch is my passion. If it’s yours too, then I’m glad you’re here. Head to the bio page to find out more about me and the blog!
What Does Red Kuri Squash Taste Like?
Red Kuri has a subtle sweetness to it that is perfect for roasting, soups, or using in place of pumpkin in a dessert.
In my opinion, the flesh has a thicker texture than other squashes. I think you’ll really like it!
How To Make Red Kuri Squash 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.
- Roast the squash.
- Add it and the other veggies to the stockpot.
- Add broth and seasonings.
- Blend at the end of cooking, and add cream.
I think roasting the squash imparts the best flavor, and that is the cooking method I recommend here.
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. Don’t forget to visit the recipe card, it’s got all the tips and tricks you need!
What To Serve With Red Kuri Squash Soup
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 goat cheese salad. This is great with turkey breast or beef as well. 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.
Tips For Good Soup
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 recipe, 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
Red Kuri Squash Soup is an easy recipe you'll want to eat all through squash season. It is perfect for lunch or your holiday table!
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
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.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Additional Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soups, Stews, and Broths
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 226
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 2455
- Fat: 14
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 19
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 21
My daughter and I were just talking about wanting to make a good squash soup. Thank you so much for sharing with us on the Homestead Blog Hop! Hope to see more this Wednesday.
Thank you Kelly, I love a good squash soup too!
I love kuri squash – it’s sweet and so delicious. This soup looks and sounds amazing – Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party.
Visiting from Anything Goes. What a beautiful bowl of soup!
Thank you Melynda!
I have never come across this squash, but now I will be on the lookout for it. Great recipe!
Thank you Bernadette!
Yum, that looks and sounds great. I love squash. That red squash is new to me.
I love Red Kuri Squash. If you can find it in your area it is definitely worth giving it a try!
Yummy, perfect for the fall season!