Vegetable Soup with Butternut Squash, Rainbow Chard and Orzo

It’s official: I’m going through a squash phase.

It feels a little late in the season, or maybe a little early in the year, but when they’re still all over the market and lookin’ so fine...why fight it? Not enjoying squash right now would be like boycotting one of our unseasonably warm days because it’s just not right to be outside in a t-shirt in February. I mean, it’s totally not right, but if we have to deal with climate change, might as well make the most of it.

BTWI just googled "squash with t-shirt on," because that felt like the good and proper thing to insert here. The internet failed me.

And so the rundown: SQUASH. GREENS. TOMATO. PASTA. HERBS. BREAD. CHEESE. LIVING.

With so many colors in each bite you’re practically diving into a bowl of Skittles, and not just from the rainbow chard. This baby has a familiar vegetable soup backbone that provides a perfect platform to focus on two flavors; the aforementioned squash and chard really stand out when it comes to size, texture and visual interest.

And now for the confessional portion of this entry:

I’m pretty trusting of my cooking instincts in general, but there’s one area in which I too often indulge to my inner Mr. Hyde: my utterly profligate use of herbs. Despite instances of being proven otherwise, with herbs I always have MORE IS MORE echoing in my head. I think it goes back to my childhood, when I was the strange kid sneaking into the garden to stuff my face with curly parsley, pineapple mint or anise leaves. It’s probably also the reason I keep buying culinary herb plants, no matter how treacherously herbicidal I know my thumbs to be nor how inconducive to plant life my travel schedule is. When it comes to herbs, a tablespoon turns to two (or four), an extra flavor goes into the mix, and I crush the poor Jiminy Cricket voice telling me “hey, you know fresh oregano is way too overpowering for this.”

Oregan-Oh no you didn't!

Fresh oregano is a flavor bully, a fragrant temptress full of promises. She seems so amiable, with her supple leaves and her aromatic whispers of past Italian feasts. But give her an inch and she’ll take a mile. I heard Jiminy, I did. I almost banished the oregano from my handful of herb ends and pieces at the last minute, but it was a Wednesday. And Wednesdays are for wild’n out. 

Where are the ladies, Nick? Ladies can't wild out?

Am I saying that the devilish Ms. O ruined this soup? Heavens no. Never let the bullies get you down. All I’m saying is that I’ll henceforth remind myself to put the NO in orega-no.

There was plenty to love here, from a richly flavored broth to tender squash to AHEM bubbly broiled cheese. I just wish the oregano hadn’t shouted down the dill. Dill is a terrible thing to waste. Dill or no dill, though, this is a tasty, toasty vegetable soup perfect for a stupidly cold night (no need to boycott this weather – it’s exactly as miserable as advertised). I’m just going to leave the oregano out of my recipe so as to give myself (and you) a rare opportunity to rewrite history, the satisfying platform to right a wrong. What a delicious second chance this will be. 

From now on I’ll let my conscience be my guide, and — while I’m at it — maybe I’ll double up the crostini.

Vegetable Soup with Butternut Squash, Rainbow Chard and Orzo

with fresh herbs and mozzarella-topped crostini

Serves 2

extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 stick celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 leaves rainbow chard, stems separated and diced, leaves roughly chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup diced tomatoes in tomato juice

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup peeled and 1” diced butternut squash

1/3 cup orzo

a few stems each Italian parsley, basil and dill, leaves picked and finely chopped

2 slices pre-made crostini or simple toasted crusty bread

2 oz. shredded mozzarella

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium in your soup pot, and add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and chard stems. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until all vegetables are tender – the chard stems will slow it down some so this will take about 12-15 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and cook another minute. Add diced tomatoes and juice, broth, and butternut squash. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until squash is partially cooked – 8 to 10 minutes. Add orzo and cook until orzo cooked but al dente (package instructions help with timing). Meanwhile, turn your broiler on high to preheat.

When orzo is almost perfectly cooked, stir in chard leaves and almost all of your chopped herbs, reserving a bit to garnish (AKA make it pretty). Cook for another minute or two, just to wilt the greens.

Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if necessary. Divide soup between two bowls and place them on a baking sheet. Top each bowl with a slice of crostini/bread and 1 oz. shredded mozzarella. 

Broil until cheese is bubbly, then sprinkle with remaining fresh herbs and serve.