We were at the farmer’s market the other day and saw these huge blue colored squashes I had never seen before. When we inquired what they were, they said they were hubbard squash and they’re delicious. She also said since they are so big, it’s best to throw it on the ground to open it up. Hmmm, I love winter squashes and I love smashing things, so why not? Even if it tastes bad, it would be four dollars well spent just to smash it. I decided to make hubbard squash soup to start with.
Cue the Smashing Pumpkin’s song (or in this case Smashing Squash) and let’s break this thing open!
This would have been perfect for a slow-motion video, but I didn’t think of it in time. (I love the comments and dramatic “oohs” and “ahhs” from my kids)
This thing is a beast of a vegetable. I had soooo much squash. So far I’ve made three batches of soup, wild rice pilaf with squash, hubbard squash pie, and croquettes with squash filling. And I still have 4 cups left in the freezer!
I love butternut squash, it’s in my top three favorite vegetables, but I think hubbard squash just squashed it out. I found it to have a much deeper richer flavor. Having it plain roasted, or in soup, it doesn’t matter, I like it leaps and bounds above butternut squash. But cutting and cubing up this monster was a lot of work. So we’ll see how often I have it. I highly recommend hubbard squash and in particular this hubbard squash soup. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Susan Selasky of the Detroit Free Press.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 diced onion
- 1 diced large apple (I used a honey crisp)
- 2 Tbsp fresh minced sage
- 8 cups cubed hubbard squash
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot. Add garlic and cook for about one minute.
- Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add apples and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Next, add squash, sage, vegetable broth, and water.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer partially covered until squash and apples are soft. About 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer to a blender in small batches to blend, or blend using an immersion blender.
- Add the heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and a dollop of heavy whipping cream.
