We’re just on the cusp of fall weather here. Leaves are starting to fall, but we still have at least another week of seventy degree days. I’m soaking up the best of both worlds while I can by taking Cookie on long walks during lunchtime and breaking out my favorite jackets in the evening.
I got so excited a couple of weeks ago when Adrianna of A Cozy Kitchen’s new book, The Year of Cozy, landed on my doorstep. It’s a beautifully designed and photographed book filled with recipes and crafts for every month. The whole book is geared around making the most of each month (and making the most of life, really).
The book isn’t about adding more to the monthly to-do list, but about finding comfort from the stresses of everyday life in fun little side projects. I love it. As if it could get any better, she included plenty of pictures of her corgi, Amelia, and even a recipe for dog doughnuts and a dip-dyed rope dog leash. Cookie approves.
I found this spicy squash soup in the October chapter of the book, which is where the book begins. I was torn between this soup and her recipe for chocolate peanut butter cups, which I’ve always wanted to make. I’ve been battling a sore throat, though, so soup won. I don’t know if it was the soup or the nine hours of sleep that followed, but I’m cured!
Adrianna titled this soup “Chorizo”-Spiced Squash Soup, which I am sure is a more accurate title, but… I never liked sausage, even when I ate meat, so I can neither confirm nor deny the flavor connection. Basically, she uses spices found in chorizo to flavor the soup, including chile powder, cumin, oregano and coriander. Squash really needs some spice since it’s not super flavorful on its own, and I can confirm that Adrianna’s choice of spices are perfect here.
Adrianna suggests serving this soup with toasted bread to make it a full meal. A side salad would be great as well (maybe this one?). It’s light but comforting, just perfect for getting cozy as the temperatures cool down.
Adrianna’s Spicy Squash Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
Creamy but light squash soup seasoned with an amazing combination of pantry spices! This soup can serve as lunch, dinner or a warming side dish. Serve it with toasted bread or a side salad. Adrianna even suggests adding Parmesan and using it as pasta sauce. Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 large acorn squash, halved and seeds scooped out
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder or regular chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- Teeny pinch of ground cloves
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- Juice from ½ lemon
Garnishes
- ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chile powder or regular chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch of ground coriander
- Salt, to taste
- 3 tablespoons crème fraîche (optional, replace with a tiny splash of olive oil for vegan/dairy-free soup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash, cut sides down, on the baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until mostly tender. Let the squash cool for a few minutes, then scoop the flesh into a small bowl and discard the skin. (There might be some bits of squash that aren’t completely cooked, but don’t worry, the rest will cook in the pot with the broth.)
- In a medium pot or Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, reserved squash, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon salt, chile powder, cumin, oregano, coriander and cloves. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth or water and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the squash is completely softened.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend the soup in a stand blender, in batches (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line). Securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with remaining batches.
- Return the soup to the pot and set it over low heat to keep it warm. Taste the soup and add more salt until the spices really sing, around ½ teaspoon for vegetable broth or 1 teaspoon if you used water.
- To prepare the garnish: In a small skillet over medium heat, add the pepitas, olive oil, chile powder, cumin, coriander and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine and toast for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the pepitas’ edges are turning lightly golden brown.
- Divide the soup among bowls and drizzle a bit of crème fraîche (my crème fraîche was super thick, so I tempered it with a little splash of soup so it would drizzle better) or olive oil on top. Top with a sprinkle of pepitas and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted minimally, with permission, from The Year of Cozy by Adrianna Adarme.
Change it up: I bet a small butternut squash or even some delicata squash would be a great substitute for the acorn squash. Shoot for 1 ½ to 2 pounds squash.
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This looks like a really tasty squash soup. I like the spices Adrianna chose – so delicious! Now I just need to get my hands on that book!
Jeanne
When do you add the squash to the broth mixture?
Kate
Thank you for pointing that out! You add it with the pumpkin and spices. I just corrected the recipe.
Petra
WHY canned pumpkin???? Why not fresh?
Kate
Not sure on the thinking behind that, but sometimes it’s hard to find sugar pumpkins and sometimes they produce inconsistent results. I bet you could roast a small sugar pumpkin with the acorn squash if you’d like to use fresh!
Ashlae
That soup is the reason I rode my bike to the grocery store (in the rain) last night. I’ve been on a soup kick this past week and have been freezing it (like crazy) for those cold winter days when I just don’t want to cook. Thom took a little taste and said it deeefinitely reminds him of the spices in chorizo.
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen
SO BEAUTIFUL! Thank you so much, Kate. I tell my boyfriend about Cookie all the time because I am just so surprised another dog is as mischievous as Amelia haha.
★★★★★
Kate
Haha, Cookie could give Amelia a run for her money, for sure. I should tell you that I walked back into my “office” where I photograph recipes and found Cookie standing on my coffee table so she could reach her head into the pot of soup on the desk. Ruined two servings of your soup! :( That said, she liked it.
Kari
This looks so delicious! I love squash soup!
Kari
Alexa
Yes yes yes! I love adding a little bit of spice to my soups this time of year! This spice combo is on point – pinned! :)
Jeff
Can the acorn be replaced by butternut squash?
Kate
You could try it. Let me know what you think!
Gaby Dalkin
love all the pictures of Amelia, too! :) want this soup so bad! I can almost smell it from here
Kerstin
Wow, this looks so yummy! I really love squash soups in every variation! I have to try this recipe as soon as possible :-) Thank you for sharing! Love, Kerstin
mareen
Adrianna’s book is already on my birthday wish list.
I love any kind of squash soup. It’s just the best comfort food for rainy fall days. Definitely got to give this soup a go soon.
Lynne
I adore soup and this sounds so tasty. Definitely a keeper :-). I almost envy you, going into winter with all the delicious comfort foods to devour. Big hug for cookie :-)
Emily | Robust Recipes
Yum! squash soup is one of my fave types of soups. I love how creamy, and luxurious they turn out. This ones looks like a winner!
Allyson
Yum. I love squash, but it’s so easy to fall into a squash rut so I’m always happy to see new ideas. The chorizo spices sound perfect.
Paula
Just received two acorn squash in our CSA box and made a double batch with dried chiles. So incredibly flavorful! Thank you!
Kate
Hooray, thanks Paula!
Amanda
This looks so perfect for the cold october days, I’ll definitely try it :) And that book is now added to my wishlist!
Kate
Hooray, thanks Amanda!
Mike
I am 65 years young and I just stumbled on your website. I just made and devoured your Vegan Lentil soup and both my wife and I found it to be superb….the flavours just jumped out at you WOW! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Any other soup recommendations would be most welcome.
I would love to send you a picture of our chocolate lab Logan but I don’t know how…..computers will have to wait until my 70s.
Many thanks!
Mike Germa
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Mike! So glad you found my site and enjoyed this soup! Thank you for your note. I have quite a few other soups here. I think you would enjoy the quinoa vegetable soup, which is based on this one. The other most popular soups are Thai curried butternut, black bean soup, curried cauliflower, West African peanut, butternut chili and sweet potato farro soup. :)
Stefanie
It looks delicious!
Isa @ Never Eat Shredded Wheat
I absolutely love squash soup, but most of my recipes are for butternut, not acorn. Love this twist!
Kate
Mine, too! I’ve been neglecting acorn squash for too long. Love this soup.
Brynn
Made this a couple nights ago and it was delish!
Kate
Thank you, Brynn!
Nancy
This is my new favorite soup. I had just bought an acorn squash and wasn’t sure what to do with it last week. It was a little bigger than you recommended so I was generous with the spices and just threw in the entire can of pumpkin and crossed my fingers. I even roasted the (washed) acorn squash really well and left the skin on when I added it to the pot. It tasted great plus the little specks of green in the pureed soup looked pretty…extra fiber, too I bet. Thanks so much, will be making this again very soon.
Kate
Glad to hear it, Nancy! Your version sounds awesome!
Mary Landon
Great recipe. Easy, quick, warm and satisfying. We loved this. I made anadama muffins to go with it. They aren’t too sweet, more like a dark cornbread. Anyway, they really made a great Fall meal. Thanks Kate. Just love your recipes and humor.
Kate
Thank you, Mary! Glad you enjoyed this one. I’m off to google anadama muffins. They sound fantastic!
Ashley
Hi Kate! Let me first say that it always makes my day when I see a new Cookie & Kate email pop up, so thank you for what you do!
I should have found a recipe before buying ingredients, but I was just so excited that it finally went below 80 in Atlanta! I jumped the gun and bought a butternut squash, but I love this recipe! Do you think I could use the butternut squash instead of the acorn? What other adjustments would accompany?
Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Hey Ashley! I’m so sorry for my delay. Cookbook is slowing me down. :( Yes, you could definitely make this soup with butternut squash! Unless it’s a really small butternut, it will probably need longer than 30 minutes in the oven. You might also want to thin out the soup with a little more vegetable broth, but you can eyeball that. Otherwise, you shouldn’t have to make any adjustments.
KD
Hi Kate,
What size pumpkin purée. 15 oz or 28 oz?
Please advise.
Thanks!
KD
KD
Kate,
Please ignore my last question, i just re-read the recipe and realized it was cup and not can.
KD
Viktoria
Kate,
You are my go-to blog: although my family members are not vegetarian – it really is important for us to have at least 4 “vegetarian days” a week:)
I have made this soup 8 times already and my friends now make it too just from trying it at my house. I add home-made croutons to it and VOILA! No matter how much I make – there are never leftovers :) But I guess that is a good thing. So thank you and thanks to Adrianna!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Viktoria! And thank you for sharing the recipe with your friends!
vivian
This was very good. I don’t usually like squash soup, because I find them generally too sweet. My son loves it, though, and it’s the only vegetarian soup he likes, so we tried this. The spices are lovely, and I particularly like the pepitas. I put a dollop of plin Greek yourt on top of mine too, which was a nice, tangy addition. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Evie @ blender reviews
Yummy! This soup recipe is really Great! This looks delicious and I Like it! thanks for share…
★★★★★
NICOLA
I can’t seem to find canned pumpkin in stores lately, but I was really hoping to use up an acorn squash with this soup. Is the pumpkin really necessary?
Kate
Hi Nicola, the pumpkin lends a substantial amount of creaminess. I’m guessing you’d need to roast two acorn squashes in lieu of the pumpkin.
Kate
P.s. another option would be to make these bowls, which call for an acorn squash.
Janice
Would this soup work with butternut squash instead of acorn squash? Looking to use it up and this recipe looks awesome!
Kate
I haven’t tried it myself, Janice, but I don’t see why not! I know that butternut is a bit tougher, so you may want to cook it juuuust a bit longer to soften it up.
Carrie
I made the acorn squash soup with butternut substitution. Just finished. Its amazingly easy and so DELISH!!! I am already thinking of making my own spin on it!
★★★★★
Kate
Great! Thank you, Carrie for your review.
Marsha
It’s really tough to find recipes with acorn squash, and my Aunt just gave me 3 of them. I’m so glad I came across this recipe this morning, I made it for lunch and it’s delicious! The only thing I didn’t have was ancho chile. Subbing regular chile powder was OK, but I’ll be picking up ancho before I make it again because I think it will really take it up a notch. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for stopping and providing a comment, Marsha! I appreciate the review.
Elyse
This is my absolute favorite soup!! I’m pregnant and am trying to plan some recipes to freeze for after the baby is born. Any idea if this freezes well?
★★★★★
Kate
Congratulations! How exciting! That’s a good question, Elyse. I wish I knew for sure which recipes freeze well, but I haven’t tried freezing all of them. I think my enchiladas and lasagna would be good choices, as would my lentil soup and quinoa soup.
Elyse
Thank you!
Janice
I was looking for a way to use my garden acorn squash. This is a super easy and tasty recipe. My husband asked me to make it again. Especially nice with the spiced toasted pepitas.
★★★★★
s fisher
I love your soup. It would be great if you would include serving size in nutrition information. it’s a bit tricky to have to divide into how many servings the recipe provides to know.
Una Nolan
Hello!
I’m finding it hard to find canned pumpkin in my country. Do you think this would be sweet enough if I just use a butternut squash instead of both the acorn squash and pumpkin?
Many thanks, Una.
Kate
Hi, You could try it. Or, try roasting your own pumpkin!