Cozy up with this creamy honeynut squash and sun-dried tomato soup. A rich and nourishing soup made with wholesome pantry friendly ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Honeynut Sun-Dried Tomato Soup
- Cozy, creamy, and nourishing. This soup is comfort food that feels rich, but balanced with the sweetness of roasted honeynut squash and the tangy depth of sun-dried tomatoes. Another soup that feels like a hug in a bowl.
- Made with affordable pantry staples. Simple ingredients like canned beans, dried pasta, and jarred sun-dried tomatoes come together to create something unexpectedly luxurious. It’s proof that good food doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.
- Wholesome and satisfying. Between the beans, cashews, and kale, you’re getting fiber, plant-based protein, and healthy fats all in one pot. This is the kind of meal that keeps you full and grounded without feeling heavy.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sun-dried Tomatoes: I recommend using a jar that has julienned strips to help minimize chopping. Alternatively, you can roast a pound of ripe tomatoes. If roasting, I would recommend using campari tomatoes especially when tomatoes are not in season.
- Honeynut Squash: Can also be made using a butternut squash or sweet potato. Just make sure you end up with at least 1/2 cup for the cashew cream portion.
- Beans: Used cannellini beans, but canned butter beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, or cooked lentils could work great here.
- Spices: I used a combination of smoked paprika, dry oregano, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and fresh thyme. You can add more or less of any spice or herb based on your preference. Truthfully, I tend to eyeball the amounts and adjust as I see fit.
- Broth: I prefer reconstituted Better Than Bouillon, but feel free to use your favorite flavorful broths instead.
- Shallots: You can also try this with a diced medium red onion instead.
- Cashews: Instead, try this with sunflower seeds for a completely nut-free alternative.
- Nutritional Yeast: Adds some complex umami flavors. You can use 1 tsp yellow miso paste as a replacement for the yeast listed in this recipe.
- Pasta: When choosing pasta for this recipe, do use a small shape like cavatelli, ditalini, or orzo. If you prefer to not use pasta, I would recommend adding a second can of beans to the soup instead.
How to Make Honeynut Sun-Dried Tomato Soup
Roast the honeynut squash and garlic until tender (about 35–40 minutes).
Sauté shallots in sun-dried tomato oil, then add spices to bloom.
Add beans, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and thyme, then simmer 15 minutes.
Reserve 1/3 cup of squash then stir in the rest with the pasta and simmer until pasta is al dente. Add kale to wilt.
Blend cashews, roasted garlic, reserved squash, nutritional yeast, and sun-dried tomatoes into a creamy sauce.
Stir the cashew cream into the soup, season to taste, and serve warm with bread.
Expert Tips
- If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable broth. Pour small amounts of warm broth in while stirring until you reach your desired consistency.
- To save time. Use sun-dried tomatoes that are already julienned and 1 cup frozen cubed squash. And if you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to blend the cashew cream, sauté as much garlic as you like with the shallots at the beginning, stir in the nutritional yeast with the spices, then add all the sun-dried tomatoes and squash to the pot when simmering and use a can of coconut milk for the cream.
- Adjust cook time for different pasta shapes. I do still recommend using relatively small pasta shapes for this recipe like cavatelli, ditalini, or orzo for more even cooking times.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I were making the soup to freeze, I would make the soup base, but leave out the pasta. This will help to avoid getting overcooked pasta when reheating. You can then freeze the base and portion into individual freezer-safe containers or in a Souper cube tray and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. When serving, thaw and reheat the soup base, then cook the pasta separately. Add the cooked pasta to the soup and adjust with additional broth as needed.
Swap the pasta with gluten-free pasta. Instead of adding the pasta to the soup to cook in, I recommend cooking it separately as gluten-free pasta tends to be more delicate in texture. You can also opt to use a second can of beans in place of the pasta.
Cooking time may vary due to the size and thickness of your squash. The squash I used was about 400g. Be mindful of adding more as you will likely need more liquid to adjust for the creaminess.
More Cozy Creamy Soups to Try
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Description
Cozy up with this creamy honeynut squash and sun-dried tomato soup. A rich and nourishing soup made with wholesome pantry friendly ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Add the cashews to a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak for at least 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Prep the vegetables. Slice 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves. Place the garlic on a small sheet of foil, drizzle with 2 tsp oil and a pinch of salt, then wrap tightly. Trim off the ends of the honeynut squash, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
- Place the squash halves on the baking tray and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp of oil and a generous pinch of salt, then flip cut side down on the baking tray. Add the wrapped garlic to the tray and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until both are soft.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Pour in 2 tbsp of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes (you can discard the remaining oil from the jar). Set aside the drained tomatoes.
- Add the shallots and a pinch of salt to the pot. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
- Stir in the paprika, oregano, fennel, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes to bloom the spices.
- Add the beans, half of the reserved sun-dried tomatoes, vegetable broth, and 1 cup of water. Stir to combine, then drop in the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Scoop out and reserve 1/3 cup of the roasted squash. Scoop the remaining squash to the soup along with the pasta and simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the kale, cover the pot, and simmer for another 3 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the kale is wilted. Remove from heat.
- To a blender, add the soaked cashews, reserved squash, remaining sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp salt, roasted garlic squeezed out from the skins, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Discard the thyme sprigs from the soup. Pour in the cashew cream, stirring well to combine. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve warm with a drizzle of olive oil and toasted bread.
Notes
If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable broth. Pour small amounts of warm broth in while stirring until you reach your desired consistency.
To save time. Use sun-dried tomatoes that are already julienned and 1 cup frozen cubed squash. And if you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to blend the cashew cream, sauté as much garlic as you like with the shallots at the beginning, stir in the nutritional yeast with the spices, then add all the sun-dried tomatoes and squash to the pot when simmering and use a can of coconut milk for the cream. You can also cut the cook time down by starting the soup base while you are roasting the squash and garlic in the oven.
Adjust cook time for different pasta shapes. I do still recommend using relatively small pasta shapes for this recipe like cavatelli, ditalini, or orzo for more even cooking times.
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