Have you ever tried dried figs for soup? This acorn squash soup recipe tastes like autumn with woody herbs and is especially festive when served in acorn squash bowls.
Dried Figs for Soup
Adding dried figs for soup might at first seem like a stretch, but think of this. By adding figs, you add extra nutrition—fiber, calcium, and potassium. You add extra flavor and natural sweetness, which, in the case of this winter squash soup balances the savory herbs. Then, the figs add texture and body—it’s something you can experience in making our chili recipe or even the Mexican fig mole sauce. Finally, a few sliced figs make a tasty topping for a pretty presentation. In this soup, we used Sun-Maid or Orchard Choice Mission Figs, but you could easily swap in our Golden Figs which are slightly nutty, tangy, and delicately sweet.
This soup is a good one to reach for if you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or are diabetic. It was developed by RDN, Annie Siegfried who writes about preventing diabetes and how dried figs can fit into healthy eating for diabetics and pre-diabetics.
Make the Acorn Squash Soup Recipe
To make the acorn squash soup recipe, you’ll roast the squash in an oven preheated to 350°F. Cutting the squash in half speeds up the cooking time. Make sure to put the squash on a rimmed sheet pan because you will pour in water about 1/4-inch deep. Then, you bake it uncovered until tender. Cool the squash, removing the pulp from the rind and set aside.
Warming Spices
Start by melting butter in a saucepan and then cook the onion for a few minutes until crisp-tender. Then, you’ll stir in the fruit: the apples, half of the dried figs, thyme and basil. It will be fragrant. At this point, you’ll stir in the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.
Finishing the Acorn Squash Soup Recipe
The secret to a silky smooth acorn squash soup is to puree it in batches. Also, and even if you have a high speed blender, puree for about 1 minute.
At this point, stir in the half-and-half, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Heat until hot. (Not eating dairy? Use coconut cream in place of the half-and-half for a luxurious texture, or almondmilk for a thinner consistency).
Serve with the other half of the dried figs as a topping.
NOTE: If you do decide to serve the soup in the acorn squash bowls, make sure to give yourself extra time to roast the squash—it will take longer than the roasting of the halved squash. You will slice off the tops and scoop out the guts. Then, you’ll roast the squash bowls cut side down.
Acorn Squash Soup with Apples + Figs
Ingredients
- 1 medium acorn squash (+2 to use as serving bowls)
- 1 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 apples , peeled + sliced
- 1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Dried Figs , divided
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 1/2 cup half + half
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Cut squash in half and place it cut sides up, in a rectangular pan. Pour water into the pan to 1/4-inch deep. Bake uncovered about 40 minutes or until tender. When it’s cool, remove pulp from rind and set aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in butter for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in apples, 1/2 cup of dried figs, thyme and basil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
- Blend the soup in batches on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth; pour into bowl.
- Return blended soup to the saucepan. Stir in half-and-half, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Heat until hot. Serve with the other half of the dried figs as a topping.
