Winter Squash Miso Soup
Winter squash miso soup is just what the doctor order. We’re definitely craving spring around here but the weather isn’t very promising. Taylor and I started our first round of seeds in the greenhouse today–despite being buried under a few feet of snow. And I cannot tell you how therapeutic it was to get our hands dirty again. We usually LOVE winter because it’s a break from the hot fields, heavy lifting, and 12 + hour days of work. However, this year it’s been an exhausting “break.” The snow has been relentless. Between being stranded at the farm for days on end, power outages and late nights spent out at the greenhouse shoveling snow off the roof (so it doesn’t collapse)this has been a trying winter. I know I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again….having storage crops, canned food and a freezer full of local meat honestly saved us this year. We were able to eat like kings even when we were stranded. I will always remember this winter and prepare even more next year (I didn’t can enough pesto!!!)
There is light at the end of the tunnel and I feel a shift in energy around the farm even though the snow is still very present. As I type this post we have carrots and beets resting in the ground in one of our hoop houses. Salad mix, bok choy, kale and collards have been seeded and the chickens are laying eggs again. With each passing week our seeding schedule will increase and it feels great to start filling up the greenhouses again. Honestly, I’ve never been more ready for hot weather, my farmers tan, long days and a sore back than I am right now. Fingers crossed this snow starts melting fast so we can start tilling in the fields and moving out of the greenhouses.
This soup was a great way to warm up after seeding. The combination of the sweet winter squash, salty miso, and spicy ginger makes for a killer combination that you’ll be coming back to for the rest of the winter.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Winter Squash Miso Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4-6
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 inch nob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- One- 3 pound winter squash (we used kabocha but butternut would be nice too) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 3 1/2 tablespoons white miso
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (from the can)
- salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Preparation
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, cayenne and winter squash cubes and stir well to coat the squash in the spice mixture. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the squash is fork tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the soup cool for about 5 minutes. Add the soup, along with the miso and coconut milk to a high speed blender (you may have to do this in batches). Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Alternately you can use an immersion blender but the soup wont be nearly as creamy. Return the soup back to the pot and keep on low until ready to serve. Taste for seasonings and sprinkle with salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as needed *Taste test as you go
This soup sounds delicious good thing I some roasted squash in the fridge waiting to be used!
Love the simplicity of this soup – thank you.
Also, just pre-ordered your book – so looking forward to it.
As always delicious recipes. I’m all about soup and this one, sound pretty yummy
Made this today! Delicious! Thank-you! I did have to sub the miso for tahini, never bought miso but will step out of my comfort zone and try it, very inspired by how you use it and looking forward to trying some!
This was so tasty!! My first time trying kabocha squash- thank you for the inspiration! I changed a couple of things to use what I had on hand- I used 2 pounds kabocha squash and 1 pound of yukon gold potatoes, used some homemade vegetable stock in place of half the water, and I was out of cayenne pepper so I used some red pepper flakes instead. I will definitely be making this again!