How to make a soup tureen from a squash

by Aimee

If you’re like me, you keep a fairly trim collection of serving dishes and the ones you own are multi-purpose to save on space and money. I’m a big fan of oven-to-table cookware for that exact reason.

Here’s what I don’t own and probably never will: a soup tureen. I’ve seen them in kitchen stores, usually taking the shape of an enormous head of cabbage or a rooster. The fact is, I’m not even sure if soup tureens suit my style. I certainly don’t have a place to store one, especially if it only is used a handful of times a year.

Ebay lists gazillions of pumpkin-shaped soup tureens, but why not just make your own out of a real pumpkin or squash? That is what I did recently for a weekend dinner where butternut & leek soup was the main event.

I think it turned out pretty well. The best part? I roasted the squash the next day and turned it into pie filling. Talk about multi-purpose!

How to make a soup tureen from a squash

I started with what I think was a Blue Hokkaido squash. It was slightly more green than blue and too flat on the bottom to be a Hubbard. A sugar pie pumpkin would work really well and I think a white pumpkin would be particularly pretty.

As per the images below, here are eight steps to making an edible soup tureen from a squash:

1. Using a pot lid and a sharpie, mark a circle in the top for the ‘lid’ of the tureen.
2. Cut around the circle with a sharp boning knife. A chef’s knife would also work. Be careful. Take your time. You need to cut at least 3 inches deep.
3. Take a solid carving fork (a slot screwdriver would work also) and pry open the lid.
4. Scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh inside.
5. Turn the squash over and shave a little of the peel off the bottom so that your tureen can sit flat and not wobble.
6. Slice about an inch-and-a-half of the extra flesh off the ‘lid’.
7. (Optional step not pictured: Pre-warm the tureen with an unscented, dripless candle inside while you heat the soup. Not tested,  it was just an idea I had after the fact.)
8. Fill the squash tureen with hot soup and carefully place on the table. Top with lid until ready to serve.

And there you have it. The next day, I inverted the enormous squash into a cast iron skillet and roasted it for about 2 hours at 375F. It softened right up and I puréed the flesh in the food processor for future pies, soup or whatever my heart desires.

I suppose using an edible bowl suits my rustic style of cooking and I love showing off the whole (or halved) winter squash at the table instead of in pureed form or another baked good. Acorn squash make beautiful bowls and are a good size for individual servings. This grain-free recipe for stuffed acorn squash from Deliciously Organic looks delicious, as does this meatier version from the Messy Baker.

Last Thanksgiving I halved a spaghetti squash, tucked in two cranberry-stuffed turkey roulades and roasted them all up together. With cider gravy, it was a fantastic holiday feast with winter squash highlighted right at the table.

Come to think of it, former contributor Shaina stuffed bell peppers with a Mediterranean rice a while back. And before that, there were Quinoa-Stuffed Artichokes. What are we stuffing next around here? Who knows. But I do think you should make a squash tureen this fall!

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