This Roast Dumpling Squash Soup with Crispy Pancetta & Sourdough Croutons is the perfect fall soup for when autumn squash arrives in our CSA boxes from Sage Mountain Farm. It's a soup offering a sweet and salty bite between the roasted squash and the salty bits of crispy pancetta. Keep this one in your back pocket for soup season!
Fast Facts about Dumpling Squash
Dumpling squash is a small winter squash that looks like a small and fun colored pumpkin. With a hard, cream-colored and spotted green skin, this squash is a popular variety grown in the hardy winter months. When roasted this squash elicits a sweet flavor that is a great compliment to glazes made with brown sugar or maple syrup. It's also great puréed in soups. Puréed soups are usually on repeat during the autumn and winter months meaning my favorite blender gets good use. Check out the blog posts under Food & Meal Prep for more information on this and other squash varieties.
Ingredients for the Roast Dumpling Squash Soup
Let's talk about this delicious soup! My Roast Dumpling Squash Soup serves four and is the perfect weeknight soup for those chilly autumn evenings. Here's what we need to make it:
- Dumpling Squash: We're using two here. Save a bit of time during a busy weeknight and roast these ahead of time. It will take about an hour to roast them.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic are helpful here for flavor. You can also add in some herbs like fresh thyme or rosemary.
- Stock of Choice: Something I love about soups is that using whatever stock on hand works well. Vegetable stock or homemade chicken stock work well. In this version I also have used turkey stock from post Thanksgiving turkey bones and it's absolutely delicious.
- Ground turmeric and cayenne pepper: I love a little hint of heat in this soup and the combination of ground turmeric and cayenne pepper works beautifully.
Preparing the Roast Dumpling Squash Soup
We can first begin roasting the dumpling squash for soup. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Slice squash in half, along the vertical line, and scoop out seeds. Drizzle flesh sides with olive oil and kosher salt and black pepper. Place the halves, flesh side down, on the baking sheet.
Roast for 50-60 minutes until the flesh of the squash is fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside cool. Scoop out flesh and set aside. NOTE: you can roast the squash a day or two in advance and store in the fridge until the day of soup prep.
Next, in a cocotte or Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook onions over low heat to allow them to caramelize, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Next, add in the roasted squash and stir to combine. In the final step, add the stock, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and bring to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
While soup simmers, prep croutons by drizzling the bread cubes with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toast the cubes in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove and cool slightly. If using pancetta, sauté in a small skillet until crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain pancetta on a plate lined with a paper towel. Set aside to top soup with later.
Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Finish the soup with butter and milk. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in a blender and then add the soup back into the pot to finish with butter and milk.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with croutons, pancetta, chopped chives, and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
Roast Dumpling Squash Soup with Crispy Pancetta
Ingredients
- 2 medium dumpling squash approx. 4 lbs, roasted and flesh scooped out
- ½ of a medium onion roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 cups stock of choice Vege worked well here
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup diced pancetta
- 1 thick slice of sourdough bread cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- Chives for garnish optional
Instructions
- For roasting squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Slice squash in half, along the vertical line, and scoop out seeds. Drizzle flesh sides with olive oil and kosher salt and black pepper. Place the halves, flesh side down, on the baking sheet. Roast for 50-60 minutes until the flesh of the squash is fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside cool. Scoop out flesh and set aside. NOTE: you can roast the squash a day or two in advance and store in the fridge until the day of soup prep.
- In a cocotte or Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook onions over low heat to allow them to caramelize, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the roasted squash and stir to combine. Add stock, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and bring to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- While soup simmers, prep croutons by drizzling the bread cubes with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toast the cubes in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove and cool slightly. If using pancetta, sauté in a small skillet until crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain pancetta on a plate lined with a paper towel. Set aside to top soup with later.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Finish the soup with butter and milk. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in a blender and then add the soup back into the pot to finish with butter and milk.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Top with croutons, pancetta, chopped chives, and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
