Vegetarian Recipe: Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Jean Francois Meteigner was the chef-owner of La Cachette. He first shared this recipe for Butternut Squash and Corn Soup on October 22, 2005.

Photo: trpnblies7 on flickr

Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Serves 8

• 2 Tablespoons grapeseed, canola, or light olive oil

• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

• 1 leek, white and light green part only, coarsely chopped and thoroughly rinsed in a colander

• 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (see Tip below)

• 3 cups corn kernels (from 5 to 6 ears of corn)

• Fine sea salt

• 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 Tablespoon finely snipped chives, for serving

• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion and leek and saut- for 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the squash and corn, and saut- for 10 minutes more. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, uncovered, until completely tender.

2. Let the soup stand off the heat for 15 minutes. Remove about one-third of the stock with a ladle, and reserve. Puree the stock in a blender in batches, filling the container only halfway and holding the top on securely with a folded towel. (Always start blending hot mixtures at the lowest speed and increase the speed gradually). Strain through a medium conical sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing hard to extract all the flavor, leaving the corn skins behind. Taste for seasoning and adjust the consistency by returning a little of the reserved stock to the soup, if desired (any stock you do not use for the soup may be frozen for future soups and sauces).

3. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with a few chives and a turn or two of the pepper-mill.

Tip: The skin on butternut squash is very tough and very thick; use a sharp vegetable peeler and peel each squash twice to be sure you remove every last scrap of skin.