Butternut Soup with Spicy Chickpeas & Swiss



We purchased too many butternut squashes a few weeks ago and kept forgetting about the one we had left. After running some recipes by Dave, I finally managed to put other ingredients on the shopping list to go with the forgotten butternut squash. The original recipe called for smoked Gruyere, but Swiss cheese was more readily available. This recipe made four bowls of soup, I really liked the crunchy chickpeas on top of the soup. I love soup, but sometimes pureed soups could benefit from added texture. Dave thought it was a good contrast of sweet and smoky flavors. This soup had a beautiful presentation with the contrast of colors and would be perfect for a fall or winter dinner party.

Similar Recipe: Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Roasted Chickpeas

Recipe from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:
-1 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1 sweet onion, diced
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 pinch of red pepper flakes
-4 cups cubed butternut squash
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-1/4 teaspoon paprika
-1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
-2 cups vegetable stock
-6 ounces smoked Swiss cheese, freshly grated
-1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, plus extra for drizzling
-2 tablespoons chives

Spicy Chickpeas
-2 cups chickpeas 
-1/2 tablespoon olive oil
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
-1/4 teaspoon paprika
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Before you start the soup make the spicy chickpeas -- Preheat the oven to 425 and pat the chickpeas dry before seasoning them. Toss the chickpeas with the 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and then season with the salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne and toss to distribute. Roast for 20 minutes, then shake the pan before roasting for another 15 to 20 minutes until the chickpeas are crispy.

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the diced onions, pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt -- then cook until the onions have softened, which should take about 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the butternut squash cubes, salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Stir everything until the squash is coated in the spices. Cover the pot and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the squash has softened slightly, stir occasionally. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the squash is fork tender.

Once the squash is fork tender use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until smooth and fully pureed. Stir in handfuls of the shredded Swiss cheese until melted. Add the coconut milk and stir into the soup until fully combined.

Serve in bowls topped with chickpeas, a drizzle of coconut milk, and fresh chives.


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