Peanut Butternut Squash Soup

by Buki Owoputi

This dish may sound like a strange combination of ingredients, but give it a try (trust me)! And please feel free to let me know how you felt about it!

Now that summer is ending (sadly), and fall is approaching, I thought I would share one of my favorite, unique squash recipes. I don’t even like squash or peanut butter, but I am in love with this dish! The combination of the two main ingredients makes for a delectable meal. I never follow any recipes, and I never make anything exactly the same every time, so bear with me. Also, feel free to edit this recipe to your own liking (for example, I tend to get a little heavy-handed with the peanut butter, so you may want to add a little less). Please let me know if you have tried something different that you liked. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced (I usually use white onions, but that is my preference)
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 butternut squash*
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup carrots
• 6 tbsp peanut butter (feel free to add more/less)
• ½ cup cilantro
• ½ cup green onions (optional)
• 2 cups broccoli
• 2 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Instructions:

1. Chop butternut squash and onion into small pieces. In a large pan, heat olive oil. Add butternut squash and onions. Add ginger, black pepper, turmeric, garlic, and curry. Heat and stir for 10 minutes.
2. Mix in carrots and green onions. Then add chicken/vegetable stock, making sure it covers the vegetables. Bring to a boil.
3. Stir in peanut butter and soy sauce. Turn down heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Taste soup, and add more peanut butter if necessary. 🙂
5. Add in broccoli. Stir another 5-10 minutes. I like to add this ingredient at the end because I prefer my broccoli to have more texture.
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy! You can also mix in some cooked brown rice if you choose (as shown in the picture).

*Lazy person’s tip: when I’m feeling lazy, or when I can’t find reasonably priced butternut squash, I will buy pre-made butternut squash soup. Whole Foods has a really good organic butternut squash soup that comes in a 32-oz carton. You can substitute the already-made soup for the italicized ingredients.

Buki Owoputi is a second-year FPAN student. In her spare time she likes to invent new recipes and read random articles on Wikipedia. She is always looking for guinea pigs to try out her latest concoctions.