No. 136Recipe Card Posted on 13 Comments

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

A soup that reflects the crisp, clear, bright days of the Fall season – Butternut Squash & Apple Soup – a breeze to make, a healthy bowl for lunches or light suppers, a bright little gem from the kitchen.

Soups are one of the first recipes to usher in Fall cooking in the Bijouxs kitchen. The weather is shifting, it is once again safe to turn on the oven and Butternut Squash & Apple soup is a perfect example of simple clay pot cooking – a healthy, light and easy baking method to produce everything from soups to desserts.

Clay pots were once fads of the home kitchen, my original Romertopf clay pot is still in use, revealing its nicks of time and unlike most fads, has turned out to be a very useful piece of kitchen jewelry.

There are many types of clay pots used in cooking all over the world, tagines from North Africa, cazuelas from Spain and of course American Boston bean pots, but the unglazed red clay pot is one of the most common. These porous, lidded pots are first pre-soaked in water, placed in a cold oven to begin where the moisture absorbed is released during the baking process, keeping the foods inside moist and eliminating the need for additional fat, yielding lighter cuisine and an easy method for soups and long-braised recipes.

A three or four-quart clay pot can produce a wide variety of recipes. Clay roasted chicken, curries, and classic Boston baked beans are some of Bijouxs favorites for clay pot cooking. The Best of Clay Pot Cooking is one book that gets you started with cooking in clay. This soup, slightly adapted from the book, may also be baked in a heavy, lidded Dutch oven or on the stove top, cooked over a low heat, adjusting time and flame/temperature as needed for both alternative methods.

I serve Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with large baton-shaped croutons, perfect for dipping, using my basic crouton method, but substituting shallots and thyme as the  seasonings. This soup freezes well and is great to have waiting for a quick Fall lunch or colorful first course.

Celebrate Fall with a little golden jewel from Bijouxs.

 

As always, enjoy. B

13 thoughts on “Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

  1. What a coincidence! I made butternut squash and apple soup Friday night (Ina Garten recipe). It had curry and apple juice instead of your broth, and of course no clay pot. Yours is way more photogenic, natch!

    1. Hi there Lentil! The colors and flavors of this soup just scream Fall don’t they? I often make this soup with vegetable stock and enjoy the subtle savory-sweet play of the onion and apple. Happy Fall cooking and thank you!

  2. I just “dusted” off my rabbit shaped clay pot I received as a Birthday present years ago.(born in the year of the rabbit) And now I have a reason to bake with it again! I love the fall squashes & your recipe is a perfect fit to the falling leaves….going out to buy squash!

    1. Hi Alice- I am laughing a little..I had a white rabbit baking terrine, don’t know where it is right now..but clay bakers are really a great little jewels worth “dusting off”…off now looking for my white rabbit! Thank you!

  3. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole…but hope you can find it. Tis the start of soup season.

  4. I just added your blog to my blogroll, I love your pictures and recipes ! congratulations !

    1. Hello Argone & welcome to Bijouxs! Thank you so much for your kind words about my site and also adding Bijouxs to you blog list. Merci beaucoup!

  5. I am enjoying your blog. You have a beautiful site and I love your recipes. Will linger here a while.

    1. Penny, thank you so much for taking the time to write! It it so encouraging to hear from readers that they are enjoying the site! Thank for lingering and hope to hear from you again. Enjoy!

  6. I think I have every cooking vessel know EXCEPT a clay pot! GREG

    1. It may be an age thing (meaning me older:)…but these once ‘all the rage’ clay pots are extremely versatile, healthy and need little/no tending during the cooking process, but who needs another cooking vessel? Famous last words.

  7. Dear Bijouxs,
    I made the butternut squash and apple soup yesterday, and it was delicious! I didn’t have a clay pot, so I used an old Le Creuset Dutch oven. If I see a clay pot at an estate sale, I’ll get it and try the soup in it next time.
    Love,
    Your Biggest Fan

    1. Dear Biggest Fan,
      Thank you so much for first being Bijouxs biggest fan and second I am so happy you enjoyed the soup:) This clay pot recipe is convertible and a Le Creuset Dutch oven makes a perfect alternate! Thank you so much! Bijouxs

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