Creamy Butternut Squash & Chicken Soup Recipe

We still have a few large butternut squashes in our "cellar" and it was about time I use them up. You all know how I feel about butternut squash soup (delicious, but textually disturbing), but I wanted to attempt a new version of the creamy squash soup. By adding in chicken, celery, onions, garlic and loads of spicy spices I created a butternut squash soup that I can really get behind. I hope you and your family love this healthy, hearty, creamy soup. 

Creamy Butternut Squash & Chicken Soup Recipe

recipe by adorkablerecipes.blogspot.com

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, roasted 

drizzle of canola oil

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Italian seasoning

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1/2-1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg 

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt 

2 cups chicken broth or bouillon

2 cups water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds. (You can reserve the seeds and roast them if desired. This makes a great soup garnish.) Place flesh-side down on a cookie sheet. Fill the cookie sheet with 1/4 inch of water. Bake 45 minutes to an hour, until tender all the way through when pierced with a fork. Remove from baking sheet to cool. 

While squash is cooling, drizzle a 5 or 6 quart pot with canola oil and heat to medium. Add in chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes without stirring. Then stir the chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add in celery, onions, garlic and seasonings. Stir. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softening and fragrant. 

Once squash is cool enough to handle, use a large spoon to scoop out the soft flesh (leaving the skin behind) and transfer to a food processor. Process in batches until smooth. 

Add approximately 2-3 cups pureed squash to the pot with the chicken. Stir to combine. Pour in chicken broth. Add in water, one cup at a time until preferred consistency is reached, adding more than 2 cups if desired.  

Bring soup to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes (to an hour). Serve hot with chili sauce (Sriracha) and oyster crackers or roasted butternut squash seeds. 

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Butternut Squash Pancakes

I really am lucky that I married Kevin. There aren't a whole lot of guys out there who would be ok with (and even excited about) breakfast when I announced these "butternut squash pancakes." But my husband is a trooper and he dove in fork first. We both really enjoyed these pancakes. 

The butternut squash puree is so similar to pumpkin with a bit more sweetness, that no sugar is needed! With an abundance of butternut squash in the "cellar" and leftover puree in the fridge I thought these pancakes would be the perfect addition to a Friday morning brunch. I'm so glad I was right. ;) 

Note: I recommend making these pancakes after using squash puree for another recipe such as this pie or butternut squash soup. 

Butternut Squash Pancakes

recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1-1/2 cups non fat milk (I used Soy Milk)

1/2 cup butternut squash puree*

1 whole egg

1-1/2 Tbsp canola oil

Directions

to make the butternut squash puree: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash butternut squash and place on a plate. Microwave 2 minutes or until just soft enough to run a knife through. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and add a small amount of water. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool completely--1 hour.

Scrap out the seeds of the squash and discard. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the squash, getting as close to the skin as possible without breaking through. Spoon into a food processor. Process until pureed and smooth. (I didn't need to add water, but you can if the squash isn't moving in the food processor.) 

to make pancakes:

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. In a small bowl whisk together the milk, pumpkin, eggs and oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, being careful not to over-mix. The batter will be thick! Ladle batter in desired portions over a hot nonstick pan or griddle and flip when bubbles begin to break on the tops. Cook another few couple of minutes and remove from griddle.

Serve with butter, syrup and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon!

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Apple, Onion, & Butternut Squash Gratin

I'll be honest, my first thought when I saw this recipe was "huh???"

I never would have come up with this combination of ingredients, but I have to say I'm SO GLAD I didn't let that stop me! 

This is a fantastic way to use butternut squash--Ezra Pound Cake is brilliant. 

You can hardly distinguish the onions from the apples from the squash. 

All of the flavors meld brilliantly into something sweet, savory and tangy--all at the same time. 

Four side dish servings. 

Recipe adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium leeks, white part only, trimmed of roots and tough outer leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, well washed and dried OR 1 small onion, thinly sliced. 

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup dry sherry or apple cider (I omitted this--and there was enough liquid without it.)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus leaves for garnish OR 2 tsp dried thyme

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced 1/8-inch thick

1 pound apples, such as Gala, Cortland, Baldwin, or Macoun, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add leeks (Or oninos) and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add sherry and sage (or thyme) and cook until liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 3 minutes; set aside.

In a 2-quart shallow baking dish, arrange squash in overlapping layers; season with salt and pepper. Spread leeks (or onions) evenly over the squash.

Arrange apples in an overlapping layer over the leeks. Brush apples with remaining tablespoon oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle cheese over the top. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown. The tip of a paring knife should easily pierce the gratin. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with sage or thyme leaves.

Butternut Squash Pie

 I had three huge butternut squash sitting on my counter generously given to us by neighbors. Here's my thing about this vegetable--I really like the flavor, but the texture kills me. Butternut squash soup is delish, but it pretty much gags me. Sorry, but it's true. So I wanted a way to use the vegetable without the negative affects. What better way to do that than with a PIE?!

Just a couple weeks ago I saw a recipe for this pie and heard it tastes even better than pumpkin. The problem is I have NO IDEA where I read that. So I did a little googling and experimenting and came up with my own version.

I had one small crust (a mini crust really) on hand, so I just wanted to make a little bit of the filling. Turns out I had twice as much as I needed so I used biscuit mix with a little milk and patted it into the bottom of second mini pie plate. It didn't turn out too badly. :) All that to say, the measurements may be a bit off for a 9 inch pie, but because it filled two 4 inch pans, I think it might be just right.

::Baking the squash

Ingredients

1/4 of the dough from the Never Fail Pie Crust Recipe*--recipe below

*this is an approximation. I used the remnants of dough and made a miniature pie crust. The filling filled two mini pies, so I'm estimating. I believe this will make one 9inch pie. 

1 medium butternut squash, cooked and pureed

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup heavy cream

less than 1 Tbsp butter, melted

3/4 tsp cinnamon

scant 1/4 tsp nutmeg

scant 1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash butternut squash and place on a plate. Microwave 2 minutes or until just soft enough to run a knife through. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and add a small amount of water. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool completely--1 hour.

Scrap out the seeds of the squash and discard. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the squash, getting as close to the skin as possible without breaking through. Spoon into a food processor. Process until pureed and smooth. (I didn't need to add water, but you can if the squash isn't moving in the food processor.) 

Add to the processor the remaining ingredients. Pulse a couple times or until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared pie shell. 

Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. (Be sure to line the crust with foil if it is browned but the pie is not finished baking. 

Never Fail Pie Crust

Makes two (2) two-crust pies (only need 1/4 of this recipe for this pie--freeze the rest!)

Ingredients

2 C. shortening

4 C. flour

dash of salt 

Directions

-mix the previous ingredients with fork until crumbly.

-in cereal bowl, mix 1 beaten egg, 1 Tbsp. vinegar, and 1/2 C. cold water.

-pour liquid mixture into flour.  Mix with flour until dough forms.

Helpful hint:  After dough is complete, divide the dough into 4 equal parts (or 2 if you halved the recipe) and flatten each portion slightly into a circle (approx. 5 inch round).  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  This allows for much easier rolling.

Also, the crust I used for this pie had been in the freezer covered in foil (not even in a ziploc) for almost a year. It was still flaky and amazing!

Also, if you need additional tips for rolling out the dough, feel free to ask.  I've learned a lot of lessons!