I’ve had several spaghetti squashes sitting on my kitchen counter for the last couple of weeks and finally decided to get them out of the way. Not wanting to do the typical “spaghetti” thing with them, I looked around for something a bit more unique. I thought this recipe looked great and was happy to find that it was easy to make and full of flavor. The black bean guacamole was especially delicious and even Sylvie gobbled up the squash!
I know. Who in the hell makes soup in the summer? Me apparently. But it uses summery ingredients and tastes delicious so it’s ok. Trust me.
This stuff really didn’t look super appetizing as I was making it. Chunks of squash floating in chicken broth don’t exactly please the eye. BUT, after it was pureed and some thyme, corn, and goat cheese were added, this soup looked like a gourmet meal. And it was. I’m sure there are many of you out there with loads of yellow squash on your hands. This is a great way to use a little of it. This made two bowls of soup, so enough for the main course for two people. If you’re cooking for the family, you’ll definitely want to at least double the recipe. Heating up the stove is worth it for this one. I promise.
p.s. This soup could easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
I was a little skeptical when I saw this as a featured recipe on Pioneer Woman, but also a little intrigued. It was actually a bit less time-consuming than regular lasagna, though not exactly a fast meal. It was, however, worth the time. Seth kept raving about how much he loved this and ate the leftovers for several meals in a row for a few days until it was gone.
I’ve tried to make it a point to use more seasonal ingredients in my cooking this year. There are a couple very good reasons for this: #1 Taste is greatly improved #2 It’s much cheaper. During this process I’ve discovered several ingredients that I’d never used before, but really enjoyed. Two of these newly discovered ingredients are included in this recipe: butternut squash and parsnips. Butternut squash is naturally sweet and smooth in texture. It tastes especially good when roasted and/or caramelized as it is in this dish. Parsnips have also become one of my favorite things. They look and taste a lot like carrots, but have a more complex flavor. More earthy perhaps? I’m not very good as describing flavors. All I know is, I love parsnips.
This recipe turned out to be slightly fussy. I’m pretty sure I used every pot in my cupboard at once and was constantly stirring this or that. I really liked the blend of flavors from the squash, parsnips, onions, and spices, but there was one thing I would change to improve the end result. The recipe says to bake this for 30 minutes, which was fine, except the noodles that were on top became crunchy and dried out. I think covering this with a sheet of tin foil while baking would have made this much better. On a positive note, the reheated leftovers were delicious and the sauce didn’t separate and get all weird. This was a nice option for a Meatless Monday meal.
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