No Autumn would feel (or taste) right without a soup of the squash variety.
There’s just something about a squash-based soup that provides you with such comfort and warmth while slurping it, it’s no wonder these soups are a staple at the Thanksgiving table!
And while a Butternut Squash Soup is usually the star player at many a cornucopia, I shall adorn my table with something I think tastes even better, richer and more astounding: ACORN Squash Soup!
This squash is more reminiscent of a sweet potato and it will taste so incredibly rich, creamy and harvesty (I just made that word up, I think) that I’m pretty sure this will be your new favorite squash soup! What’s more? It’s a BREEZE to make in the Instant Pot!
Here’s How I Made It!:
We’ll begin some some acorn squash…
…and slicing it in half longways/top-to-bottom (and sorry for the blurry photo).
Now take an ice cream scooper…
…and scoop out the seeds (you can totally reserve them if you wish to roast/toast them too!)
Place the trivet and some water to the Instant Pot…
…and layer the squash in a way so they fit in the pot. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
While the squash is cooking, take some shallots…
…and dice ’em up!
When the squash is done, it will have softened. Carefully remove it with tongs…
…and set aside to cool.
Now, go back to the pot and rinse and dry it out. Heat it up and add in some olive oil…
…and butter.
Once they begin to sizzle…
…add in the shallots and stir for a few minutes until softened and lightly browned.
Then, add in the garlic…
…and stir that up for another minute.
Now take some Garlic Better Than Bouillon mixed with some water…
…and add it to the pot.
As well as some Chicken Better Than Bouillon mixed with some water…
…and also add to the pot.
Top it off with some seasoned salt…
…black pepper…
.…white pepper…
…rubbed (dry) sage…
…and dried thyme.
Stir it up, secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
While the broth is cooking and the squash has cooled down, use the ice cream scooper…
…and scoop only the soft meat of the squash into a bowl…
…discarding the squash’s skin and any harder/firmer portions of the squash meat.
When the broth’s done cooking, it’ll smell amazing but look rather blah. But thats all about to change!
Add the scooped squash to the broth…
…and give it a good stir.
Now is where our transformation occurs. Take an immersion blender…
…and blend everything together until nice and puréed. The soup will have thicken up nicely now!
The finishing touches include adding some Worcestershire sauce…
…and some grated Parmesan cheese.
Give that a stir.
And then follow it off with some heavy cream…
with one last final stir.
And now, we’re ready to serve!
Ladle into bowls (but not TOO much – this is a very rich and filling soup!)…
…and top it off with some pinches of more Parmesan, black pepper and thyme! You can also top with some of the roasted/toasted seeds you scooped out earlier!
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Acorn Squash Soup
The sweeter brother of Butternut Squash Soup, Acorn Squash is to-die-for delicious and perfect during the harvest months or anytime of year.
Ingredients
- 2 whole acorn squash, halved with seeds removed (use your best judgement when choosing the size in the market to make sure they’ll fit in your Instant Pot)
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of salted butter
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
- 2 cups of chicken broth (I used 2 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups of water)
- 1 cup of garlic broth (1 tsp of Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 1 cup of water, but you can use a 3rd cup of chicken broth if you cannot find this)
- 1 tbsp of seasoned salt
- 1 tsp of black pepper, plus some for garnish
- 1/4 tsp of white pepper
- 1 tsp of rubbed (dried) sage
- 1 tsp of dried thyme, plus some for garnish
- 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, plus some for garnish
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
Instructions
- Using a good knife, (carefully) cut the acorn squash in half from the top to the bottom and use an ice cream scooper to scoop out the seeds (you can either discard them or save them for toasting and perhaps even use the toasted seeds a a garnish at the end!)
- Add the trivet and 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot and rest the halved squash on top of it so that it fits. Secure the lid and hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 6 minutes. Quick release when done and hit “Keep Warm/Cancel”
- Carefully remove the cooked squash with tongs and set aside to cool. Remove the trivet and liner pot, rinse it out, dry it off well and then return the liner pot to the Instant Pot
- Hit “Sauté” and Adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Add in the oil and butter and once melted and bubbling, add the shallots. Cook for about 3 minutes in the oil/butter until a softened and a little browned and then add in the garlic and stir for another minute
- Next, add in the chicken broth, garlic broth, seasoned salt, black pepper, white pepper, dried sage and dried thyme. Mix well, secure the lid and hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release when done
- While the broth is cooking, the squash will have cooled down. Using the ice cream scooper, scoop the soft meat out of the squash and place all the scooped meat into a bowl, leaving the skin out. Also, don’t worry about scooping out any tough portions of the squash. We only want the soft sections and we will have plenty. Discard the skin and tough portions of the squash when done scooping
- After quick releasing the broth and when the lid comes off the Instant Pot, add in the scooped squash and then take an immersion blender (or a regular one, but an immersion blender is SO much easier for this so you don’t have to transfer the soup to a blender and then back into the pot) and blend everything in the pot together for about a minute until it’s puréed. The soup will thicken up from this
- Lastly, add in the Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese and stir. Then, add in the heavy cream and stir well
- Ladle into bowls (but not TOO much – this is a very rich and filling soup) and top with some sprinkles of extra Parmesan, black pepper and thyme (AND/OR use some reserved seeds from the squash that you’ve toasted/roasted with some olive oil, salt & pepper and add them as a lovely garnish too)
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
Make it vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and subbing puréed tofu for the heavy cream!
Want the soup a little less spicy? Cut back on the pepper (although it isn’t really very spicy as is – just a little zesty kick).
Some people love saving the seeds and roasting/toasting them as a snack OR using them as a lovely garnish for the soup. Go for it if you want to get all fancy like that!
- Preheat oven to 300°F and rinse the seeds so they are free of any squash remnants
- Dump the seeds out onto a towel and pat to dry
- Place the seeds on a baking sheet and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, about 1 tsp for 3/4 cup of seeds. Add a pinch or two of salt.
- Toss the seeds until they are evenly coated with oil and salt. Spread out so they are in a single layer so each seed has its own space, although some overlapping is fine. Place the baking sheet into the oven. Roast until the seeds are just starting to brown, about 20 to 25 minutes, checking on them intermittently
- Remove the seeds from the oven and let the seeds cool on the baking sheet. Enjoy right away, add to the soup for a garnish or keep for a few days in an airtight container
Sharen Buchan
Oh MY Goodness!! This was delish