Minnesota Food Lover

I love butternut squash.  I love beans.  Put them together and WOW!  Can you tell I really liked this soup?

This recipe is from the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper.  It comes from Beth Dooley, one of the food writers for the paper.  I’m not sure when this recipe appeared in the paper, but I wish that I would have tried it earlier.

This soup has so much flavor without a lot of ingredients and comes together quickly after preparing the squash.  Cutting up butternut squash can really be a good workout.  I followed the recipe pretty closely with the exceptions of using black beans instead of white beans, spinach instead of kale and additional broth instead of the wine.

Next time I make this soup I would probably use either collard greens or chard instead of spinach.  The spinach was a little mushy in the leftover soup.  I think it needs a heartier leaf or put a little fresh spinach in the bowl of hot soup.  I suppose kale could be used, but frankly I’m tired of kale.

Butternut Squash and Bean Soup
Serves 4-6

2T olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 tsp. fresh sage, chopped
3 C squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 T tomato paste
5-7 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 C cooked beans
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 C Swiss Chard or collard greens, thinly sliced

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, garlic and sage.  Clear a spot on the bottom of the pan and add the tomato paste.  Cook the tomato paste until the color changes to a deep red.  Stir in the onion mixture and add the squash, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Stir to combine.  Add the stock and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer about 25 minutes until the squash is tender.  Stir in the beans, bell pepper and chard.  Heat through.  Adjust seasonings to taste before serving.  This a perfect soup for the fall!