Signature Dish of the Day: Squash Orzo Soup
Signature Dish of the Day: Today, I will be showcasing two simple yet delicious butternut squash recipes, starting with this rich, vibrant, and abundantly flavorful Squash Orzo Soup as our signature dish of the day today! I absolutely love experimenting with different ingredient combinations in my kitchen in order to come up with new recipes and flavors...in fact, my unspoken home-cooking mantra is "go boldly where no flavor has gone before!" 😄 Since this is also a one-pot dish, it is guaranteed to simplify the cooking process and definitely makes for the perfect quick lunch or dinner meal.
To prepare this hearty and delicious soup, I first peeled 1 small butternut quash using a vegetable peeler and then cut into medium-sized chunks as pictured above. I strongly recommend cutting bite-size but slightly large chunks so that they retain their firmness instead or breaking apart and getting mushy during the cooking process. Once I was done, I then heated up 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot for about 2 minutes before adding in some diced red onions and tomatoes. I seasoned the base mixture with a dash of smoked paprika, turmeric, and ground black pepper and let it cook down for another 3 minutes. I also stirred in 2 tablespoons of a store-bought pasta primavera sauce as a flavor enhancer. Thereafter, I poured in the butternut squash pieces into the mixture, seasoned with some salt and drizzled a bit of honey for enhanced flavor, and covered the pot for about 5 minutes to allow the squash to blend well and absorb the flavors from the base ingredients. I then added about 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots into the mixture and poured in 2 cups of water before covering once again to let the squash cook slowly under medium heat for about 12 minutes. As I have highlighted in previous posts, the trick with this dish is to cook the squash slowly until it is well cooked but still retains its firmness and doesn't turn into a mushy mess.
Once the squash had begun to soften just a little, I stirred in 1 cup of pre-cooked chickpeas to help thicken the broth just a little bit as well as about 1/4 cup of uncooked orzo pasta. I then added some more salt to taste and an additional cup of water, before covering for another 10 - 12 minutes until the squash was fully cooked through and the broth had developed a nice, slightly thick consistency. I garnished the soup with some dry parsley and basil flakes a few minutes before removing the stew from the stove and serving it hot on its own as a main dinner dish. Simple, delicious, and invitingly heart-warming...this wholly vegetarian soup will truly warm your heart any day of the week! Enjoy 😍💖
