Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into flat panels
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 12-oz. package frozen winter squash
1 cup chicken broth
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. curry powder
1 Granny Smith apple, minced
1 small red onion, minced
Directions
Broil pepper pieces skin-side-up for 5 minutes or until skin is charred. Place peppers in covered bowl and, when cool enough to handle, remove skin. In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add yellow onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, 5 to 7 minutes or until onions are lightly golden. Add roasted peppers and stir 1 minute until coated.
Purée sautéed vegetables in food processor. Add applesauce and process just until combined. Return purée to saucepan. Add winter squash, broth, salt, black pepper, and curry powder. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, 12 minutes or until squash has thawed and soup is piping hot.
In small bowl, stir together minced apple and red onion. Serve soup topped with apple-onion garnish.
Chef’s Note: Applesauce, onions, and chopped apple provide quercetin, a phytochemical thought to be beneficial for asthmatics.
Chef’s Tip: Use Whole Foods’ own Basic Homemade Applesauce, which has a thickness that makes this soup particularly satisfying. For a vegetarian soup, use water instead of chicken broth, but increase the salt to 3/4 teaspoon.