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If you’re looking for a sweet and mild tasting soup, this butternut squash chili soup is not for you. I created it recently after asking my husband whether he preferred that I made a plain butternut squash soup or my butternut squash red lentil soup. His answer was “why don’t you come up with something new that would have more punch?”.
I took on the challenge, and boy, he was not disappointed…. I basically combined ingredients from my famous turkey chili with butternut squash and came up with this soup that will kick your taste buds into high gear.
It packs a ton of nutrition too, protein, fiber and tons of vitamin A and C and potassium!
A few tips
I like to puree this butternut squash chili soup because it allows me to disguise the split peas in it (my husband has an aversion to beans of all kinds). My immersion blender is one of my favorite kitchen tools! But if you like chunky soup better, just don’t bother to to blend it. it will be just as good.
I used a yellow bell pepper because that’s what I had on hand that day, but you could use a red one instead.
Fire roasted tomatoes add a nice smoky touch but plain diced tomatoes would work as well.
You can of course dial down the heat by reducing the amount of chili powder or Essence. This Essence mix is a spice blend recipe from chef Emeril Lagasse. I always keep some in my spice cabinet. The quantities below yield about 2/3 cup and it can be used in a variety of ways. I like to rub it on fish for a simple “blackening” for example.
Enjoy this butternut squash chili soup with a nice grain salad like this barley salad with herbs and lemon.
Butternut squash chili soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 ea yellow bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp Essence of Emeril (recipe below) or similar Cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 ea can of fire roasted tomatoes
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup yellow split pea
- 1 ea avocado (optional, for garnish)
- 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro chopped (optional, for garnish)
Emeril's essence creole seasoning (yields 2/3 cup)
- 2-1/2 tbsp paprika
- 4 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in dutch oven on medium high heat.
- Add onion and cook a few minutes until it softens. Add garlic and cook another minute.
- Add butternut squash and bell pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they start to soften.
- Add all spices, stir well and cook another minute until spices are fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, vegetable broth and split peas. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 30 minutes or until the squash falls apart, stirring occasionally.
- Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor in batches. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with small cubes of avocado and chopped cilantro for garnish.
