This Roasted Jalapeno and Butternut Squash Cream Soup is loaded with rustic Mexican flavors perfect for a fiesta. Adapt the heat level by adding more or less roasted jalapeno seeds and chili powder.
Truth: Ben thought yesterday was Mother’s Day. Then he quickly changed his mind and decided it must be today. I looked at him with that “Are you serious???! How long have you been alive?!” look in my eyes…wait, no. I actually said those words to his face. It took a few seconds and then he caught on.
“Oh yeah, Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday.”
Yes, dear. It is.
However, this little slip up did not surprise me in the least. Within the last year, Ben has asked me what day of the week Thanksgiving was going to be on (4th Thursday???), he thought that Christmas always fell on a Sunday (December 25th???), and he managed to wonder what day of the week Easter was this year (Sunday???). Hmmm…
Let’s just take a brief moment to remember that Ben is pretty much the best hubby ever, so we will have to overlook this slight “calendar confusion” shortcoming of his. But, I’m pretty positive that Ben will inquire when Cinco de Mayo is.
Also, he majored in Spanish, so there is no excuse for this one.
However, if I manage to serve him this Roasted Jalapeno and Butternut Squash Cream Soup on this festive holiday, he’s bound to remember. Especially if I add in some roasted jalapeno seeds. That will really wake him up!
This soup is loaded with all kinds of southwestern flavors like onion, jalapeno, lime, and oregano. The heat level of the soup can be completely adjusted to your liking by adding more or less jalapeno seeds and chili powder to the soup mixture. I am a huge fan of jalapeno flavor, but not so much a fan of my mouth burning off, so I add a very minimal amount of seeds…like one or two. Haha!
The natural sweetness of the butternut squash combined with a few tablespoons of brown sugar or coconut sugar cut through the spice of the onion and jalapeno and make it quite mild in heat. The cream also cools down the heat level and makes the soup velvety smooth. However, there is only a cup of cream in the whole soup, so it’s still fairly healthy.
So if soup is on your menu this Cinco de Mayo, consider making this soul warming soup that will get you in the mood to fiesta all evening long. Adios amigos!
What are you making for Cinco de Mayo?
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs. peeled and cubed butternut squashed
- 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 large (or 2 small) jalapenos
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- chili powder for seasoning
- 3 cups water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 to 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Prepare veggies by peeling and cubing squash and cutting onion. Dice garlic and set aside.
- Place squash, onion, and jalapeno(s) on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Generously season with salt, chili powder, and a few shakes of pepper. Toss to coat all veggies evenly.
- Roast at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove seeds and stem from jalapeno(s), keeping enough seeds for your heat preference. (I'm a wimp and discarded them all!)
- In 2-3 batches, puree roasted veggies (with desired jalapeno seeds) in blender with water, minced garlic, and oregano.
- Transfer mixture to a pot and add remaining ingredients. Stir until smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes until desired thickness is reached. Season to taste.
- Serve warm with additional toppings such as sour cream, bacon, oregano, chips and salsa, black beans, roasted corn, etc.
