5-Ingredient Umami Butternut Squash Soup
This recipe tries to achieve true umami balance and harmony. Simple and balanced, but not plain. Not too salty, not too sweet. It lets the squash shine through as the primary flavor, although it can be easily modified to have fresh herbs, spices, flavors, etc. added.
Servings: 2 quarts
Cost: $5
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheets
- 1 Gallon Soup Pot
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash 2-3 lb, halved, cleaned, and gutted
- 1 yellow onion large
- 1 tbsp yellow miso paste
- 1 cup heavy cream optional
- 1 quart vegetable stock low-sodium, plus more, if needed
- 1/2 tsp umami salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place squash halves open-side-down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil. Place squash in oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- While the squash is cooking, heat a 3 quart or larger sized pot on the stove over medium low heat. Add onions to pot and cook slowly, lowering the heat as necessary to avoid any significant browning. Cover after about 15 minutes of cooking, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so. The onions should go from raw, to translucent, to finally falling apart and sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together miso paste with a ¼ cup of vegetable broth, or until the miso paste is thin.
- When squash is ready, scoop the inside of the cooked squash from the skin and add to the pot. Add the vegetable broth, miso paste mixture, and umami salt. Immersion blend in the pot until smooth.
- Add more vegetable broth as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Add in heavy cream to “glide” the flavors together for a richer soup. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve as-is, or garnish as pictured with roasted pumpkinseed and shaved chestnuts.