Yesterday was Sunday, which means more soup!
Over here we have a battle of the bowl. More so we have a battle of the carnivore vs plant based life.
I asked you all which soup you would rather see on Instagram and Facebook and it seems y’all are a divided lot as well!
While I could happily go forth without another meat product, my husband is very much the opposite. Whenever I make a strictly plant based dish and ask him what he thinks his go to response is “It’s good! Could use some meat…” oy!
He is very gracious in trying all my experiments though. With it also just being the two of us we also compromise nicely on our meat dishes, by limiting how often we consume them and using less meat than the dish would normally call for and loading up more hearty veggies. If I can’t convince him to cut it out I can at least get him to cut back greatly! lol.
Now since you all requested both recipes I decided to appease both our camps and make a double dinner last night and have plenty of leftovers for our lunches this week.
The Kickin’ Butternut Squash is a crowd favorite at our annual soup supper party. A creamy sweet blend of butternut squash turned up a notch with jalapeno, curry powder, and a touch of chilis. Sweet and Spicy perfect for a chilly evening or to clear some sinuses! I love butternut squash soup but I wanted to make something different and that’s when this came about.
The Chicken Cacciatore soup or Hunter’s Stew is a take on the classic dish turned into a brothy warm bowl of comfort. This is completely adaptable and flexible to whats in your kitchen, got a different poultry? no problem! More mushrooms? Different veggies? Want to toss in some olives? Make it your own wintery blend in a savory tomato broth.
Check out the full recipes below, and let me know are you a carnivore or a plant based eater? Which one of the soups will be a hit in your house?
Kickin’ Butternut Squash Soup
Sweet & Spicy squash soup
- 1 Small Butternut Squash (Chopped into cubes)
- 2 TBSP Coconut oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion (Chopped)
- 3 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 Jalapeno (diced)
- 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- salt & pepper
- 1 can full fat coconut milk (14 oz)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1-3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2-4 tsp Chili Garlic Paste (sambal oelek works too)
- optional toppings: toasted pumpkin seeds, coconut cream, toasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 425. Chop up butternut squash into cubes and toss in 1 TBSP of oil.
Roast squash for 30 minutes or until they start to wrinkle/darken a little.
Saute onion and garlic in stock pot with the other tablespoon of oil. Medium heat
Once translucent, Add jalapeno and cook for a minute
Add in roasted squash and all spices. Another 5 minutes to meld everything
Add in broth, coconut milk, maple syrup, and chili garlic paste. The amounts of maple syrup and chili garlic paste will depend on the size of your squash AND how sweet vs spicy you want it – use your best judgment you can always add a little more later.
Bring to a boil and then turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.
Blend! Either with an immersion blender or in careful batches in the blender. You want it nice and smooth. Don't forget to Taste test and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Enjoy!
Chicken Cacciatore Soup
- 1 lbs chicken thighs (boneless/skinless) (cut into bite size pieces)
- 1 tbsp flour (easily sub with all purpose GF flour for GF)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large bell pepper (diced)
- 2 medium carrots (diced)
- 1 medium squash (diced, zuchinni works well!)
- 8 oz mushrooms (chopped)
- 14 oz crushed or diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes diced)
- 1 tbsp Tomato sauce
- 28 oz Quality Tomato Sauce (homemade pasta sauce, quality jarred sauce, this is the basis of your broth so you want a nice quality flavor. I like using a red pepper tomato sauce)
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock (+ more if you want it more "brothy")
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups pre-cooked small shaped pasta Al Dente! (macaroni or such)
Pre-cook pasta to Al Dente and set aside. Things move fast in the first steps so its good idea to have everything chopped and measured ready to go.
Toss chicken in flour to coat. Heat butter in a heavy bottomed pot. Once melted turn heat up to medium high and put chicken in.
Cook chicken quickly browning in the flour/butter. Once browned removed promptly from pot and set aside and immediately put onions, peppers, carrots, and other veggies in. Including the mushrooms and tomatoes.
Saute for couple minutes then Add in tomato paste and spices and everything will start to caramelize a little bit.
Saute for a several minutes, then deglaze the pot with the white. Making sure to scrap up all the yummy brown bits from the pan.
Let the wine cook down for a couple minutes, once the sizzling calms down. Add in stock and tomato sauce.
Bring to a boil and add back in chicken.
Turn down heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes
Add pasta 5 minutes before serving (it will swell in the broth)
Enjoy!