Nourishing the Soul: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Written by Chris -

Soup is comforting, especially during the winter months—creamy butternut squash soup warms the body and feeds the soul. Paired with salad and whole grain crackers or freshly baked bread, soup makes a healthy and satisfying meal.

Butternut squash is technically a fruit because it contains seeds, but most think of it as a vegetable. It’s shaped like a large pear, has cream-colored skin, deep orange-colored flesh with a slightly sweet flavor. Roasted and pureed, butternut squash adds flavor and texture to soups. In the soup recipe below, it’s the star ingredient!

I’ve made this soup with three different spices, curry being my favorite. Our test kitchen also tested it with cumin and ground ginger; all delicious. If you make it, let me know what you go with. Start with 1 teaspoon of spice and add more as needed.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients for eight 1-cup servings:

• 1 (3-pound) butternut squash
• Extra-virgin olive oil for roasting squash
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium shallots, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon MAGGI Instant Chicken Flavor Bouillon
• 1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder, ground cumin or ground ginger
• 1/2 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Fat Free Milk
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• Light sour cream (optional)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

RINSE squash under cold running water before cutting. Cut squash in half through the stem and remove the seeds (check out the tip at the bottom of this post for roasting the seeds). Drizzle cut edges with oil; season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side-down on a baking sheet.

ROAST squash for 1 hour or until very soft. Remove from oven; turn the halves over and let stand until cool enough to handle (as shown above). Scoop flesh from shells into a bowl and discard shells.

MELT butter over medium heat in large saucepan. Add shallots; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the squash flesh, water, bouillon and curry powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is broken down.

COOL squash mixture for about 5 minutes before adding it to a blender. Working in batches, puree until smooth, transferring the mixture to a saucepan as you work (if you have an immersion blender, it works great with this recipe). Stir in evaporated milk and sugar. Season with pepper; cook a few minutes over medium heat to combine the flavors. Ladle soup into serving bowls; swirl in a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Storage tip: If you have any leftover soup, and don’t plan to eat it within a couple days, freeze it. I like to freeze soup in individual portions. Ladle in to small containers, cover tightly and freeze. When ready to enjoy again, simply defrost and reheat before serving.

Ok, now for those remaining seeds… seeds from butternut squash can make a great snack food, and can be prepared in the same way as pumpkin seeds. Once scooped out from inside the squash and separated from the pulp, you can place the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet to dry. Once dry, toss them with a little oil and season with a little salt or seasoning of choice. Lightly roast them in a preheated 275°F oven for 15 minutes or until seeds are golden brown and begin to pop.

I hope you like this soup as much we do! 100 calories never tasted so good! Nutrition information can be found online.

Enjoy!

Chris

Links:

• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
• More Soups

Related Recipes:

Cream of Chicken and Vegetable Soup	Butternut Squash Soup

Election Day: A Comforting Pumpkin Sage Pasta Recipe

Written by Chris -

Happy Tuesday!

Election Day calls for comfort food, don’t you think? I’m not sure about you, but I know I will be following all of the election coverage. I find this Pumpkin Sage Pasta to be incredibly comforting. Perhaps it’s the clingy sauce… Or how the pumpkin and sage meld together… Or maybe it’s the Gruyère cheese… This is what I know for certain; one party will be in need of comforting this evening.

Do you add pumpkin to your savory recipes? A little pumpkin goes a long way to making your favorite dishes tastier and more nutritious. It adds extra flavor, fiber and Vitamin A, while cutting down on fat and sodium.

On those busy school nights, I often add pumpkin to my tomato sauce (works great in homemade and store-bought). The pumpkin adds a little extra body to the sauce, which I love! All you need to do is stir in 3/4 to 1 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin into 3 cups (about 26 oz.) of your favorite pasta sauce.

Or…

If you are ready for a change of pace, might I suggest you give this Pumpkin Sage Pasta a try? It’s a bit more elegant and the flavors are a little more distinctive. I think you might just love it! This recipe works best with short cut pasta such as trottole, spirals, penne or bow tie; the sauce really clings to it! And it’s ready in 30 minutes! Garnish with fresh sage leaves for an extra flavor dimension and eye-catching appeal.

You can check out the recipe video here and see just how easy it is to put together.

Pumpkin Sage Pasta

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 6 cups cooked, short-cut pasta, such as trottole, spirals, penne or bow ties, kept warm
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 8 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 teaspoon MAGGI Instant Chicken Flavor Bouillon (season with a little sea salt if you want to go vegetarian)
• 1 can (12.5 fluid ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
• 1 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup BUITONI Refrigerated Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons grated Gruyère cheese
• Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

MELT butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage leaves; cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Stir in wine; cook for 2 minutes or until reduced slightly. Stir in water and bouillon; cook for 2 to 3 minutes to infuse flavors. With tongs, remove and discard sage leaves.

STIR evaporated milk and pumpkin into skillet; heat through. Stir in Parmesan cheese and Gruyère cheese until melted. Add cooked pasta to skillet; stir to coat and heat through. Season with pepper. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh sage leaves, if desired.

Links:

• Pumpkin Sage Pasta
• MAGGI Instant Chicken Flavor Bouillon
• NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
• LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• BUITONI Refrigerated Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Related recipes:

Ravioli Pumpkin Casserole	Baked Ziti with Pumpkin & Sausage

Healthier Doughnuts: Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes Recipe

Written by Chris -

Let’s face it; doughnuts taste great! But I really haven’t met a healthy or healthier doughnut I’ve liked — until these Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes. My kids’ love for pumpkin bread helped inspire this recipe.

Last Halloween, I brought Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes to their classrooms for their Fall Harvest party. To my surprise (well, not really — it was sweet season after all), there were bakery doughnuts there, too. My immediate thought was that my doughnuts had no chance. I fully expected the container to come home full, or at least half full.

Guess what? Every single doughnut got eaten! Every. Single. One. I was so happy! I’m not one to squash indulgence; it has its place every now and again. But when there is an equally good tasting, healthier alternative, I say go for it.

Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

Ingredients for 36 doughnut holes:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups white whole-wheat flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup Baker’s sugar (ultrafine pure cane sugar)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 to 4 tablespoons butter (melted (optional)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 425° F. Lightly spray mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

WHISK flour, baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon and salt in large mixer bowl until combined.

WHISK eggs, oil, brown sugar and pumpkin in medium mixing bowl until well combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture; stir until just combined. Fill each mini muffin cup with about 1 rounded tablespoon batter. A small cookie scoop works perfectly for scooping, as shown above!

BAKE for 9 to 10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (tops should be golden brown). Cool in pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle.

COMBINE Baker’s sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a pie plate or shallow bowl (or even a zip-top bag works well!). Brush or dip tops (or all sides) of doughnut holes in melted butter to lightly coat; roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture as shown above. There will be about ½ cup cinnamon-sugar mixture left which can be discarded. (For less fat and calories, skip the butter and just roll in cinnamon-sugar.)

ENJOY warm or at room temperature.

Happy Halloween!

Links:

• Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes
• See Libby’s promotions

Related recipes:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Frankensteins

Halloween Dipped Marshmallow Pops

Pesto Pairs Perfectly with Italian White Wine

Written by Liz -

September 30 is the last day of California Wine Month so I thought I’d pair one of my favorite Italian sauces (as in the Tortellini with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes above) with some California white wines made from Italian varietals. And I added a twist to the pesto that I learned from Luce, one of Bon Appetit’s top 10 best new restaurants in America.

The Food:

Luce is a very small market and restaurant dedicated to simple Italian cooking in Portland Oregon. Every dish on the menu was so simply made that at first glance, it seems too easy, too sophomoric. But after a bite or two, the flavors this kind of cooking imparts transports you to the traditions of Italy. Bon Appetit called it “bare bones…Italian home cooking at its core.”

The pesto at Luce was made with basil, avocado, almonds, walnuts and garlic. This is pesto in Southern Italy. And it was incredible! The avocado replaces the olive oil, making the dish lighter, full of flavor and oh-so-good for your skin. To make this easy on me to make at home, I used Buitoni pesto as a base, placing about half the container of pesto in a bowl, then mixing in one whole ripe avocado and serving it over al dente pasta. A perfect late summer meal.

The Wine:

I wanted to pair this with an Italian varietal made in California, and I found 2 wines that worked perfectly. Arneis from Palmina Wines has a bright lemony quality, and enough acid to zip along your tongue with the pesto, cutting the oils and balancing the meal perfectly.

Another wine, Bianchetto from Moretti Wines is a blend of 3 Italian varietals from different regions: Arneis, Malvasia Bianca and Tocai Friulano. You won’t see this blend in Italy, but it’s lovely flowery nose and fruit and acid balance also really enhanced the dish.

Links:

• Tortellini with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Buitoni pesto
• Palmina Wines

More pesto recipes:

Baked Pesto Chicken Breasts recipe

Insalata Caprese with Pesto Vinaigrette

Bachelor in the Kitchen: National Burger Day is Saturday

Written by Nick –

I’m a burger fan… or fanatic. However you want to put it, I love burgers. And this Saturday, July 27th, is National Hamburger Day. Thankfully it lands on a Saturday so we can all take to the grill and spice up our own burgers. It’s a special occasion, so mix it up with some burger variations from Meals.com.

Asian Burgers with Sweet Chili Mayo Spread (Pictured Above)

These turkey burgers combine the authentic spices of Asia to create a truly unique flavor. Pass on the ketchup and mustard and instead add sweet chili mayo spread for a delicious variation of the classic burger.

Cumin Burgers with Thousand Island Dressing

These burgers pack a big flavor punch. Guacamole or even just sliced avocados make these burgers the talk of the town.

Maggi Seasoning Blend

I recently used this seasoning blend with my turkey burgers, shown above. This blend is fantastic for all sorts of grilled meats, Meals.com suggests adding it to steaks or chicken. This seasoning has the perfect amount of flavor without overpowering your burgers. I added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, avocados and baby spinach. Using whole wheat English muffins for a bun, these burgers were full of delicious summer flavors.

Pizza Burgers

For the Italian in you, the Pizza Burger! These burgers mix in all the spices of a classic Italian meat while keeping the authenticity of a burger. Perfect for those difficult bachelor decisions … pizza or burgers? Pizza Burgers.

Links:

• Asian Burgers with Sweet Chili Mayo Spread
• Cumin Burgers with Thousand Island Dressing
• Maggi Seasoning Blend
• Pizza Burgers

More burger recipes (with meat & meatless/vegetarian):

Sloppy Beef Burgers

Grilled Portobello Burgers with Pesto Mayo

A Bachelor’s Guide to the Perfect Picnic

Written by Nick - 

Summer is finally here and the 4^th of July is right around the corner. Whether you’re packing a sandwich to watch the fireworks or making the most of the summertime sun, it’s the perfect time to have a picnic. So pack up your cooler or basket, grab a blanket and head outside.

If you’re going to be venturing outdoors there are a few things you’ll need to remember:

• don’t forget a blanket to sit on and a blanket to lie under in case it’s cold
• if you’re planning to use a picnic table consider a tablecloth – the birds can do some damage to a shaded picnic table
• you’ll want to pick the right meal – anything can get messy when you’re eating on a blanket in a park
• don’t forget the napkins – as I mentioned it can get messy if you’re not prepared.

This Summer Solstice I was lucky enough to make the most of the long daylight and have an evening picnic which turned out to be quite the romantic date.

I made these Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo as wraps. The Buitoni pesto has a ton of flavor and creates a delicious sandwich or wrap. For picnic purposes, I decided to make these sandwiches as wraps (pictured below) and I used sun-dried tomatoes instead of juicy ripe ones. Don’t forget drinks and a side! This Limoncello Basil Cooler recipe is a refreshing cocktail for the summertime and the Apple-Infused Coleslaw in a Jar is a perfectly packable salad.

If you’re looking for more picnic tips be sure to check out the articles on meals.com for specific beach picnic essentials and day trip/hiking picnic tips.

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo

Ingredients for 8 Servings:

• 1 container (7 ounces) BUITONI Refrigerated All Natural Pesto with Basil, divided
• 8 (about 2 1/2 pounds total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 cup light mayonnaise
• 8 ciabatta bread or French rolls, split horizontally
• 8 thin slices provolone or other Italian cheese

Directions:

PREHEAT grill or broiler.

SPREAD 3 tablespoons pesto over chicken breasts. Place remaining pesto and mayonnaise in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Spoon into squeeze bottle or covered container and keep chilled until ready for use.

GRILL or broil chicken for 5 minutes over medium heat; turn over. Grill or broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

SPREAD pesto mayo over bread; top with chicken and cheese. Add lettuce, sliced tomato and sliced red onion, if desired.

Links:

• Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo
• Planning a Beach Picnic
• Packing a Picnic for a Day Hike

Related Recipes:

Apple-Infused Coleslaw in a Jar

Limoncello Basil Cooler