Roasted Squash & Sweet Potato Tempura Soup
With the weather changing, along with the offerings at the market, it's time to bust out the big pots and shift into soup season. There is a great quote about soup by American Author Kate DiCamillo that embodies the spirit of the labor that goes into a big cozy bowl of soup: “There ain't no point in making soup unless others eat it. Soup needs another mouth to taste it, another heart to be warmed by it.” Motivated by the promise of tasty soups and stews and the opportunity to share our experience with our farmers' market farm-ily, we pooled our community for recipes and got together to bond over our bowls. I present to you Soup-A-Palooza 2025. A collection of staff soup recipes and the stories behind them.
This soup recipe was shared by Chris, our Assistant Director of Marketing. Here's what he had to say about the recipe:
"I made this recipe up based on what sounded good and what I've been seeing at the market. There are so many good things you can make with some squash and a sweet potato or two!"
Soup:
• ½ bulb of garlic, diced
• 1 whole butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 whole honey nut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 4 cups Vegetable or chicken broth (I like to use 2 cups of each)
Tempura Veggies:
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup ice water
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups oil for frying
• 1 Kabocha, peeled and cubed
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
Seasoning Blend:
• Ingredients:
• 1 ½ tablespoons onion powder (or dehydrated minced onion)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ground dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon dried celery seed
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (or 1 tsp table salt)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (mostly for color)
• (Optional) ⅛ teaspoon citric acid (or a pinch of ground lemon peel) for a slight tang
Topping (optional):
• Dairy, (burrata, crème fraiche, sour cream) 1 scoop per bowl
• Crunchy garlic chili oil, 1 tsp per bowl
• Olive oil, drizzle
Soup: Wash, peel, and dice all ingredients to prepare for soup. Preheat the Air Fryer to 400°F according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Mix all vegetable ingredients in the air fryer basket, top with olive oil, and fry at 400°F, (until golden brown, about 20 -30 minutes), shaking occasionally. Once finished, let cool approximately 5 minutes and add contents to blender or food processer to create purée. Add purée to a large pot on the stove and bring it to a simmer. let simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring in 3-4 teaspoons of seasoning blend about halfway.
Tempura Veggies: Make the tempura: Beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Stir in 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons ice water, 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, and salt until just incorporated; batter should still be very lumpy.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350°F (175°C). Set a wire rack over several layers of paper towels.
Dry veggie slices with paper towels. Dip three slices into batter, letting excess batter drip back into the bowl. Fry in the preheated oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer veggies to the wire rack. Repeat to dip and fry remaining sweet potatoes.
Transfer finished, cool tempura veggies to a bowl and toss with about 2 teaspoons of seasoning blend.
Serving your bowls: Add tempura veggies to each bowl and then ladle over soup. Top with your choice of dairy product and drizzle chili oil and/or olive oil to preference and enjoy.