Roasted Squash & Wild Rice Soup

This butternut squash & wild rice soup from Heidi Swanson’s new cookbook, Near & Far, is as delicious as it is beautiful. It’s also healthy and gluten free.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m so thankful to you for stopping by A Side of Sweet for and connecting with me via comments, emails and social media. The internet is a big place and it means so much that you landed here in my little corner of the internet.

As I was sitting down to write about Heidi Swanson’s (of 101 Cookbooks) new cookbook, Near & Far, I was thinking of the right word to describe how I feel about Heidi’s career as a food blogger. The first word that popped into my mind was envious. I immediately threw that out. I think a better word is actually inspiring. Heidi has made clean and healthy eating mainstream, I think more than any other blog. She is a household name and a blog that all of my non-blogging friends read. She was one of the first food bloggers and it’s amazing to see how she turned her passion for clean eats into a career.

I wanted to make a few recipes before I shared my thoughts on the cookbook, in order to give you a more honest review. So far, I’ve made the salted sweet potatoes, which were incredible and got rave reviews at a recent dinner party. I also made her Harira (Moroccan stew), which was so hearty and filling. It’s our new favorite comfort food.

The recipe I’m sharing here today is for Roasted Squash & Wild Rice Soup. I made it with butternut squash, as I had a few on hand from our CSA. Of course it was absolutely delicious! What really impressed me though, were the few special touches that Heidi gave it to really make it stand out.

First, I learned how to make ginger juice, which I didn’t even know was a thing. Second, there’s homemade rosemary butter for serving which adds both flavor and visual interest. And lastly is the addition of wild rice. I don’t think this soup could get any prettier, but it also helps take this soup from more of a side to an actual meal. In short, we loved it and I’ll definitely be adding this to my winter soup repertoire. In addition, the recipe states that it can be made with other squash as well, including pumpkin! I think we’ll be trying that version next.

I thought Near & Far was a great peek into the places that Heidi has traveled to that have shaped her as a cook. I absolutely adore her delicious recipes that are paired with stories of home or travel and simple, but beautiful, photos. In addition, every time I tried a recipe from Near & Far, I felt like I learned a new ingredient or a new cooking technique. I am constantly looking for ways to improve as a chef, so this was huge for me. The book is going to be something I turn to again and again for that healthy dish that’s just got that extra something special that only Heidi can give it.

 

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