Description
A creamy and comforting butternut squash soup topped with spooky black bowtie pasta bats, perfect for a festive Halloween meal or a cozy fall dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Pasta
- 1 cup bowtie pasta
- ½ cup water
- Black food coloring
Instructions
- Heat olive oil: Heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven to prepare for sautéing.
- Sauté onions: Add the chopped onion to the heated oil and sauté until the onions are tender and transparent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute to release its aroma.
- Cook squash: Add cubed butternut squash and chicken broth to the pot. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender.
- Blend soup: Allow the soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
- Season and heat: Return the puréed soup to the pot. Stir in cream cheese, salt, and pepper, and heat until cream cheese is fully incorporated and soup is hot.
- Prepare pasta: Cook bowtie pasta according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water to cool, then place in a large ziplock bag.
- Dye pasta: Add ½ cup water and black food coloring to the bag with pasta. Swish the pasta around until fully coated and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Rinse pasta and create bats: Strain the dyed pasta and rinse until water runs clear. Use leftover cream cheese and peppercorns or pieces of pasta to create eyes on the pasta bats.
- Serve: Ladle the butternut squash soup into bowls and place the black pasta bats on top to serve.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian option.
- If you prefer a smoother texture, strain the blended soup through a fine mesh sieve before returning to the pot.
- Adjust black food coloring quantity gradually to achieve the desired pasta color.
- To make it vegan, use plant-based cream cheese and vegetable broth.
- Make sure to cool the soup enough before blending to avoid burns and splatters.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl with pasta topping (approx. 1 cup soup + 1/6 pasta)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
