Acorn Squash Soup With Kale Recipes

ACORN SQUASH SOUP WITH KALE

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.
• Add onion to fat in pan, and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add kale; cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add squash puree and 3 cups water (or more if necessary to achieve desired consistency); bring just to a boil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve, garnished with reserved bacon.

ACORN SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half on the equator and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut a flat spot on each end so the squash will sit flat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the squash, cut side up. To 3 of the squash halves, add a peeled shallot and to the other 3 add 2 garlic cloves on each. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon each of the salt and freshly cracked pepper. Roast in the hot oven until very tender and starting to caramelize and collapse, approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin. Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash. Can be done ahead.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat and when the butter is starting to foam, add the raw diced shallots and saute until they are starting to caramelize, about 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and stir to remove any fond. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic and then the remaining chicken stock. Stir to combine, then puree with a stick blender. The mixture will be very thick. Add in the cayenne, white pepper and the herbs. Stir in the cream and Worcestershire sauce and heat slowly over medium-low heat. When the mixture comes to a slow simmer, mix again with the stick blender and stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and turn heat to low. Serve with a fresh crack of black pepper, a nice drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a light sprinkle of remaining Parmesan. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Put squash into a baking dish with the cut side down. Pour enough water into the baking dish to cover the bottom.
• Bake in preheated oven until the flesh of the squash is easily pricked with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool until squash can be handled. Scoop flesh into a bowl and set aside.
• Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, carrot, and garlic in melted butter until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour chicken stock into the pot; add the squash.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth and return to pot.
• Stir half-and-half, nutmeg, and cinnamon through the blended soup; season with salt and pepper. Thin the soup with water if desired.

ACORN SQUASH WITH KALE AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°. Cut a thin slice off round side of each squash half to create a stable base. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray. Place squash flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; bake until golden and tender, 30 minutes. Remove from oven; flip squash and set aside. Heat broiler. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add sausage; cook, breaking into coarse pieces, until brown, 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl. To same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and leek; cook until leek is soft, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, 30 seconds. Add kale and toss; add broth. Cover and cook until kale is tender, 5 minutes; stir in sausage. Divide kale-sausage filling among squash. In a bowl, combine walnuts, Parmesan and panko; sprinkle evenly over squash bowls and coat with cooking spray. Broil until panko is golden, 2 minutes.

ACORN SQUASH SOUP WITH KALE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Add the onion to the fat left in the pan and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the kale to the onions in the pan and cook until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the squash puree to the pan, along with 3 cups of water (more or less water to get the consistency that you want), and bring to a boil.
• Remove from the heat as soon as soup comes to a boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with drained bacon.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH SAUSAGE AND KALE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully halve cut each squash in half through the stem, removing the stem if still attached. Scoop out and discard the seeds, and place the squash halves on a sheet pan, cut-side up. (You may want to trim the bottom of the squash halves slightly so they don't wobble on the pan.) Brush each squash generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the flesh is very tender when pierced with a knife, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, if using the hazelnuts, heat a large skillet slicked with olive oil over medium. Add the hazelnuts and toast, tossing often, until the skins begin to split and the nuts are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board to cool. Once cooled, roll the nuts around on the board with the palm of your hand to remove some of the skins. Discard the skins, coarsely chop the nuts, sprinkle lightly with salt, then set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-low. Add the shallots and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the sage and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the kale and cook, tossing, just until it begins to wilt.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and add the sausage, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, crumbling the sausage with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until about half the liquid has evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Using a small spoon, gently scrape about 3 heaping tablespoons of flesh from the cavity of each squash (you should have about 1 cup altogether) and add it to the sausage, along with the rice and Parmesan. Mix thoroughly until combined, breaking up any chunks of squash.
• Divide the sausage mixture among the squash halves, filling each one to the top. (Depending on the size of the squash cavities, you may need to slightly heap the filling.) Return the sheet pan to the oven to roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and starting to brown on top.
• Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and parsley, if using, and serve hot.