There’s no blending and minimal chopping in this soup that both warms and fills you up.
This is exactly the chunky hearty soup that you want to make on a chilly day.
It checks the boxes for me and is totally suitable as a meal too. And–it rewarms well too. You might just need to add extra water (and salt if you add a lot of water) as it gets very thick when refrigerated.
It starts with the basic mirepoix–onion, celery, carrot, garlic–
And I say it’s minimal chop because I hope that you’re getting your butternut squash already chopped. I still like to chop the butternut squash a little smaller than it comes so the cubes fit in a spoonful. But then you’re really done chopping.
The rest just gets dumped in–the stock, the farro, the tomatoes. And if you want to include beans to get that protein in, then that too (feel free to leave them out if beans aren’t your thing).
Then it just simmers until ready and there’s nothing left to do.
This works for butternut squash fans. It works for tomato soup fans. It works for vegetable soup fans. And it works for mushroom barley fans who like chunky, heart, filling bowls, as the farro really is a great grain for soups.
Hearty and Comforting Chunky Butternut Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 16 oz cubed butternut squash
- 6 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 cup farro
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 (15.5 oz) can navy beans (or any small white beans), optional
- 2 tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, and carrot and sauté until onion is soft. Add garlic and butternut squash and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add water/stock, farro, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cook for 40 minutes, or until squash is soft and farro is plump. If using beans, add them after 20 minutes.
- Squash some of the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Optionally, you can smash some of the pieces of squash (using a fork) to add thickness and sweetness to the broth. Season with salt to taste and enjoy.
Enjoy!
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