I’ve made a squash soup that is easy because there’s no need for a blender. Plus you can customize the spices to make one batch two ways.

I came upon a recipe for Thai-spiced pumpkin soup at the fantastic blog 101 Cookbooks last year, and loved the results. I use acorn squash without pumpkin, and have a smaller ratio of coconut milk to squash, but one of the great things about this recipe is its adaptability. Add liquid a little bit at a time, and you’ll get the consistency you want.

I knew my kids would not eat anything “Thai-spiced,” however. So I experimented with making half the soup slightly sweet, to play off the idea of that gateway drug — pumpkin pie.

A little pumpkin butter did the trick.

My daughter, who usually wouldn’t touch a vegetable soup, said it did taste like pumpkin pie. But she was mad that it wasn’t pumpkin pie. She gave the soup a backhanded compliment, saying “if it was the only thing to eat, I would eat it.”

My son didn’t like it. I didn’t have either of them try the spicy version — which, by the way, is great for a sore throat.

Squash Soup, Sweet or Spicy
(serves four)

1 large acorn squash, or two small ones (about 2 to 3 pounds)
2 tbsps butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1⁄2 to 1 teaspoon Thai Kitchen green curry paste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin butter
Roasted acorn squash seeds for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut squash in half; scoop out the seeds and reserve. Rub inside of each squash half with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and roast squash cut side down for 30 to 40 minutes, until completely tender.

Scoop squash flesh into a pan over medium low heat. Whisk chunks until they’re as smooth as you like while adding coconut milk a bit at a time. Add a little water if you like until the soup is the desired consistency.

Divide soup into two pans. To one batch, add cinnamon and pumpkin butter, whisking until smooth. To the other, add Thai curry paste to taste. Ladle soup of choice into bowls, sprinkle with roasted seeds and serve.

To roast squash seeds: Remove all stringy pieces of squash from seeds and pat dry. Toss with a few drops of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and roast for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, until crunchy. Let cool before using.

Note: Adapted from 101cookbooks.com by Heidi Swanson.

– Kate Shatzkin