Tunisian Squash Soup

Recipe Brief

This vibrant Tunisian squash soup brings together roasted butternut squash and parsnips with warm harissa spice, brightened by fresh lemon. Velvety smooth and naturally plant-based, it's finished with a drizzle of olive oil and optional Greek yoghurt or labneh. Ready in about 90 minutes.

The Stuff:

• 1 Large butternut squash
• 2 Medium sized parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 1 Teaspoon Never Not Eating Harissa
• ½ Teaspoon pepper
• 1 Teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ Cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2–3 Garlic cloves
• 1 Small onion, diced
• 2 Quarts vegetable or chicken stock
• Olive oil
• Greek yoghurt or labneh (optional)
• Pita chips (optional)

The Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, and lay out on a baking sheet covered with foil.
3. In a small bowl, mix together harissa, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil. Spread spice mixture onto squash using a pastry brush or fingers until evenly coated. Save a little of the mixture to also coat parsnips. Add parsnips and garlic cloves to baking sheet and cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until squash is fork tender.
4. While squash is roasting, heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté onion until translucent; add garlic for last 3 minutes.
5. When squash is finished roasting and has cooled around 20 minutes, scoop out flesh and place into blender or food processor along with parsnips, sautéed onion and small amounts of stock. Purée in batches until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender for this step.
6. Put puréed squash mixture back into saucepan, and heat through with stock. Allow to simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Source: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/tunisian-spiced-squash-soup/