I tend to stay away from vegetable soups that get all their flavor from added boxed broths or consomme. Instead, I like to find ways to develop rich flavors on my own. In this butternut squash soup, I chose to roast the butternut squash and apples to caramelize them and bring out their sweetness, so that the soup has layers of delicious flavor.

If you read the title of this blog post fully, you’ll notice that there’s farro in this soup. While totally optional, I highly recommend you add it in. Farro is a delicious grain with a slightly chewy texture. When added to soup, it turns it from a simple vegetable soup to a thick, filling bowl of comfort food.

If you like to garnish your soups, reserve the seeds from the butternut squash when you peel and cube it. Rinse and dry the seeds well. Drizzle a little olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper over the seeds and roast them at 375 for about 8 minutes- watch them well so that they don’t burn!

For a printable version of this butternut squash soup recipe, scroll to the end of this post.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Farro

What you need to make this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 2 apples, peeled and sliced
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 TBSP canola or vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cube frozen ginger
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup farro, rinsed
• 10 cups water

How to make this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

1, Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, Scatter cubed butternut squash and apples on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 40 minutes, or until squash and apples start to brown and caramelize.

2. While squash is roasting, prepare vegetables to saute. Heat canola oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute for 5-10 minutes, until translucent. Add minced garlic and ginger and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add carrots and saute until softened. Season generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

3. Pour in white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.

4. Add roasted squash and apples and any released juices to pot. Add farro, then water. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to simmer, and allow to cook for 30 minutes.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend soup to desired consistency. (We like it slightly chunky.) Taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot and enjoy!

What’s your go-to soup on a cold, wintry day?

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The post Hearty, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Farro appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

I like to make both dairy and meat meals on Shavuot, but I save the dairy meals for nighttime for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we don’t like heavy meals at night. We eat low carb, and not too much cheese and feel better than eating meat and potatoes. In addition, the men would prefer to drink coffee through the night, and real milk is always the better option.

This golden onion soup with a delectable pastry crust is the perfect way to start a meal. It whets the appetite, but doesn’t leave you feeling too full.

I like a pastry crust over a floating piece of cheese toast because it presents nicer. It’s also keeps the pastry and cheese separate from the soup so the pastry doesn’t get too soggy right away and the cheese doesn’t congeal or clump inside the hot soup.

If you’d prefer to keep the pastry separate so people can opt whether they want it or not, simply bake them without attaching them to the ramekins for the same amount of time on a (real, metal) baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

If you’ve made onion soup before, you already know that the most important step is caramelizing the onions. This is done low and slow, and it’s a process that cannot be rushed. The end result is so worth it. I recommend leaving the pot alone, just a quick stir every ten minutes. Set a timer so you don’t forget.

For a printable version of the Classic Onion Soup with Cheesy Pastry Crust recipe, scroll to the end of this post.

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Supplies you’ll need to make Classic Onion Soup with Cheesy Pastry Crust

• baking sheet (not disposable!)
• oven safe ramekins
• stock pot

Ingredients for Classic Onion Soup with Cheesy Pastry Crust

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP vegetable oil

6 large vidalia onions, sliced into half moons

1/4 tsp sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry sherry or marsala

2 cups vegetarian chicken broth

4 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 TBSP kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

mini puff pastry squares, defrosted (You’ll only need as many as you are planning to prepare in individual ramekins.)

sliced Gouda cheese (the same amount as the pastry squares)

grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried rosemary, divided

How to make Classic Onion Soup with Cheesy Pastry Crust

1. In a large stock pot, heat butter and oil over medium hot.
2. When the butter is just melted, add sliced onions and sugar into pot. (Pot will be full, but the onions will shrink considerably once caramelized.)
3. Saute over medium to high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, than lower heat and cover. Check on the onions every 10 to 15 minutes and stir. This process will take a minimum of 45 minutes, but can last longer. You’ll know they’re ready when your house smells incredible, onions have reduced greatly in size and have a rich, dark hue.
4. Uncover pot and add sherry, just a little at a time to deglaze. Stir as you pour.
5. Add all remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover pot and cook over low to medium heat for 45 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare baking sheet with as many ramekins as you need.
7. Allow soup to cool slightly. Remove bay leaves and discard. Pour soup into ramekins, until 3/4 full. Do not overfill.
8. Using your hands, stretch each pastry square over the ramekin. Top with Parmesan cheese, than Gouda. Sprinkle dried rosemary on top.
9. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 25-30 minutes or until pastry crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.
10. Serve immediately.

Do you love onion soup? What is your favorite meal to enjoy on Shavuot?

The post Classic Onion Soup with Cheesy Pastry Crust appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Goulash comes in a few different forms, and also goes by “beef stew”. While the ingredients are not typically chametz, it is often served over macaroni, which doesn’t really work for Pesach. I haven’t attempted to replace that in this recipe, but even on its own, this slow cooker goulash makes for a great meal-in-a-bowl.

My family doesn’t use garlic on Pesach and it’s one of the more difficult ingredients for me not to use while cooking. I love garlic. Love. I use it liberally in every dish, including my slow cooker goulash, when I make it year round. In place of garlic, I used shallots and onions, and only vegetables that can be peeled, so even the most stringent on Pesach can enjoy this dish.

This slow cooker goulash is perfect for Pesach, because you can make it in the morning, and have a hot, delicious dinner ready for the family after a Chol HaMoed outing. You can keep it on low for longer than specified in the recipe instructions. I have, and it comes out delicious every time. If your crock pot has a setting that automatically switches to “Keep Warm” after completing cooking, that works too.

I have used both kinds of meat suggested in the recipe (beef stew or flanken)- while flanken is certainly tastier and softer, beef stew is an excellent alternative if you need a more inexpensive option.

A crock pot is a great addition to your Pesach shopping list– it is perfect for Chol HaMoed dinners and for a Shabbos Pesach cholent. In fact, if your crock pot does have the keep warm setting, this recipe would make a great cholent. Just make sure not to cut the vegetables too small, or they will get kind of mushy.

What you need to make Slow Cooker Goulash:

• non-stick saute pan; I use this one all the time and absolutely love it
• 4 quart crock pot
• mixing bowl
• whisk

For a printable version of this recipe, scroll to the end of this post. 

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Goulash:

2 lbs beef stew OR boneless flanken

salt and black pepper for seasoning meat

1 large onion diced

1 large shallot diced

2 potatoes peeled and cubed

1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed

2 carrots peeled and sliced

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine

3 TBSP tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp parsley dried

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 – 1 cup water

cooking spray

How to Make Slow Cooker Goulash:

1. Spray crock pot insert liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat and let rest for a few minutes.
3. Heat a non-stick saute pan over high heat and brown the meat on all sides.
4. Remove the meat to the crock pot.
5. In the same pan, (no need to clean pan), saute onions and shallots until translucent. Remove from heat.
6. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots to meat in crock pot.
7. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, red wine, tomato paste, sauteed onions and shallots, and seasoning. Whisk well to combine.
8. Pour mixture over contents of crock pot. Add up to one cup of water as needed. (The goulash barely needs to be covered, otherwise it will be too soupy.)
9. Set crock pot to HIGH for 4 hours OR LOW for 8-10 hours.
10. Serve immediately. (If not serving over Passover, serve over fresh rice or macaroni.)

Want to make your Pesach prep easier, your seder table more beautiful, and your kids’ happier and busier? Get the printable Pesach bundle today for 75% off the full value! It’s full of 30+ cleaning and menu planners, kids’ games, coloring pages, and activities as well as cool seder table decorations!

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What is your favorite go-to dinner to serve on Chol HaMoed?

The post Slow Cooker Goulash – Kosher for Pesach appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.