I had bought these honeynut squash to roast as a side for dinner. But I was in the mood for soup and decided to throw together this quick, creamy, slightly spicy, and very satisfying soup. Using pantry and fridge staples, this soup came together in around an hour.
The next day, I took a couple of serving over to my parents and they loved it so much, that I made the soup again just two days later and delivered another jar.
What is a honeynut squash?
The honeynut squash was bred specifically for its flavour; sweet and nutty. No extra sweeteners are required when cooking with them. This tanned, six-inch squash is also packed with nutrients; it is a good source of vitamin A and has twice the beta carotene of a butternut squash. The thin skin is also edible, but for this recipe we did not include it.
Can I substitute butternut squash for honeynut squash?
If honeynut squash is not available, substitute a 2.5-pound butternut squash and roast until soft and beginning to brown, 45-55 minutes.
Watch how this Honeynut Squash soup was made here.
Cooked on my Hestan Dual Fuel Range using my Hestan Culinary 4-quart NanoBond Saucepan and OvenBond Tri-ply Half Sheet Pan. Proud Hestan & Hestan Culinary Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.
Tried this recipe?
If you get the chance to try this recipe, please drop back and leave us comment and rating. We would love to know what you think.
Cheers! James and Elaine
Honeynut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 honeynut squash 1 pound each, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large cooking carrots rough chopped
- 3 stocks of celery rough chopped
- 3 shallots
- 1 small head of garlic
- 6 cups chicken stock homemade or use no salt added (reduced sodium) if store bought
- ½ teaspoon Harissa
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Salt & pepper
Suggested toppings
- Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Pepita seeds
- Chili oil
- Crispy sage ¼ cup olive oil to fry the sage
- Baguette toasted with butter or crusty bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 ̊F.
- Brush olive oil on the cut sides of the squash and place cut-side down on a large parchment lined sheet pan. Lightly brush the outside of the squash with olive oil.
- Add the carrots, celery, and shallots to the sheet pan. Season with salt and pepper, add a splash of olive oil and toss to combine.
- Cut the top end off the garlic, drizzle with oil. Wrap in foil and place on the sheet pan.
- Roast for 45 minutes, or until the squash is soft and beginning to brown in spots. Halfway through, flip the carrots, shallots, and celery.
- While the veggies cook, fry the sage. Heat olive oil in an 8.5” skillet over medium-low heat. Add 5-6 sage leaves at a time and cook until crisp, 30 – 60 seconds. Using tongs, remove and place the sage on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.
- When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh of the squash into a 4-quart saucepan, add the carrots, celery, shallots, and squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into the pot (discard the skin).
- Pour in the stock, sprinkle in the harissa, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth and silky. Alternatively, purée the hot soup in a blender in small batches at a time. Remove or loosen the lid of the blender, cover the lid with folded dishcloth and hold it when blending. Repeat with small batches until complete.
- Garnish with a dollop of yogurt, pepita seeds, chili oil, fried sage leaves. Serve with crusty bread or baguette toast.
Video
Notes
- If honeynut squash is not available, substitute a 2.5-pound butternut squash and roast until soft and beginning to brown, 45-55 minutes.
This looks so gorgeous’ Now I need to find this honey nut squash in the Buffalo region. I’m up here so maybe I will try Wegmans.
Thank you, Lynne!
We buy our honeynut squash from a local farmer’s market just outside of Toronto. If Wegmans does not carry them, I would try retailers such as Trader’s Joes or Whole Foods.
I really hope you find some, but keep in mind you can always substitute with a butternut squash.
Have a great day,
Elaine & James
I made it! It just so happened that I had a large honey nut squash at home waiting to be used and your recipe was perfect! I follow you on IG ( everything you do is amazing:) I used the ingredients I already had at home. I was missing the shallots but will remember to buy for next time. I used 5 cups of broth since I only had one large squash. The texture and consistency were perfect. Roasting the vegetables in the oven brought out the subtle sweetness of the vegetables.
I substituted bottled scotch bonnet pepper and cream but love the look of the pepper you used. Great recipe..thank you so much!
Hello Shanti,
Thank you for the kind comments!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe as much as we do! Substituting with scotch bonnet peppers and cream sounds wonderful too, we will have to try that next time!
Have a wonderful day and weekend!
Elaine & James