Imagine halved acorn squash, tangy sauerkraut, and savory beer brats, all mingling together in a single baking dish with a generous splash of flavorful Oktoberfest beer and a whisper of brown sugar. Everything roasts to perfection, building layers of irresistible flavor. The oven works its magic, caramelizing, tenderizing, and deepening every single flavor. Then, the roasted squash is whisked into a velvety blend with chicken broth and a kick of hot mustard, before being poured right back into the baking dish with its roasted companions. Baked until thick and bubbly, this isn’t just a meal, it’s a hearty, warm, German-inspired hug in a bowl.

It’s that time of year again. The season when decorating The Historic Herndon Halloween House pretty much takes over our lives. This has been one of my favorite years. Most likely because I’ve included Brenna and McKenna in the front porch displays. In years past, we have usually had only one front porch display, but this year we divided the space into two “carnival tent” displays to fit our “Haunted Cosmic Space Carnival” theme. One tent is Brenna’s “Spook”tacular Oddities tent, and the other is McKenna’s Sweet Tricks & Treats tent. Decorating these two tents was a real labor of love; collecting items throughout the year, recycling objects that we already had lying around, and searching through thousands of kitty pictures of our two Bengals to find just the right photo to transform into a framed table-sized themed picture for each tent display. In the end, Brenna became a wizard, and McKenna became a strawberry queen. Absolute whimsical costumed Bengal kitty perfection.

The only thing more perfect than their sweet lil’ faces is this made-in-the-oven soup. Yup, you heard that right. This soup is made entirely in the oven. Although you will need to haul out your blender to purée the acorn squash. But trust me, it’s totally worth it. B.O.B. Bob, you know, the man who rarely comments on food, declared it to be the best soup he’d ever had. So, yeah, that’s a pretty great sign that you should definitely haul out your largest glass or ceramic baking dish and commit to having to wash out your rarely used blender. And, if you think you’re not a sauerkraut fan, or just that it seems weird to be included in a soup recipe, please don’t let that stop you from making this soup. After its initial roasting time and then its following baking time in the blended soup, the sauerkraut is soft, mild, and easily an ingredient that you’ll be surprised by. Happily surprised. I’m talking kitty cats dressed up for Halloween happily surprised.

Ingredients:

Roasted Acorn Squash:

• 2 Small Acorn Squash (Approximately 2 1/2 Pounds Combined)
• 1 (14.5-oz.) Can Sauerkraut, Rinsed & Drained
• 1 (19-oz.) Package Uncooked Beer Brats (Approximately 5 Sausage Links)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 (12-oz.) Oktoberfest Beer

Oktoberfest Soup:

• 1 Tablespoon Hot Mustard
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Directions:

Roasted Acorn Squash:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the acorn squash. Cut each acorn squash in half and scrape out the seeds and any stringy pulp. Discard the seeds and pulp.
3. Place the acorn squash, cut-side facing up, in a 9×13 or larger glass or ceramic baking dish. Place the baking dish on a large sheet pan.
4. Arrange the sauerkraut evenly around the acorn squash.
5. Use a knife or a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the casings off the brats. Discard the casings. Pinch little bite-sized pieces of sausage off of each link and place the pieces evenly on top of the sauerkraut. It will not hurt for a few pieces of sausage to be on top of one another.
6. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the acorn squash.
7. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over everything.
8. Pour the beer evenly over the sauerkraut and sausage. Do not get any of the beer inside the acorn squash.
9. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the acorn squash is tender.

Oktoberfest Soup:

1. Remove the acorn squash from the baking dish.
2. Use a large spoon to scrape the acorn squash out of its skin and place it into a blender. Discard the acorn squash skin.
3. Add the mustard, pepper, and half of the broth to the blender. Purée until smooth.
4. Add the mixture back into the baking dish. Use the remaining broth to clean any residual acorn squash mixture from the blender and then add it to the baking dish as well. Stir to combine.
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until nice and bubbly.

Suggestions:

• Use a large baking dish for this recipe, so that the soup does not boil over. Placing a sheet pan under the baking dish will make it easier to clean up any liquid that should happen to boil over. I used a 9×13 glass baking dish, but a larger baking dish would be even better.
• One of my acorn squash weighed 1.186 pounds, and the other weighed 1.078 pounds. They were both on the small side. If you can only find larger acorn squash, you may need to cut the squash into quarters.
• Make sure to use fresh, uncooked bratwurst for this recipe and not pre-cooked bratwurst. I used Johnsonville Brats Beer Bratwurst.
• I used a Samuel Adams Oktoberfest for this recipe. Use a beer that you enjoy drinking with lots of flavor. A Märzen works best for this recipe. Do not use a pumpkin spice or pumpkin-flavored beer for this recipe.
• You can use any brand of mild, hot, or spicy mustard for this recipe. I used Löwensenf Extra Hot Mustard. You can find it for sale online or at many gourmet markets.

Improvements:

• Replace the acorn squash with butternut squash. Cut the butternut squash into medium-sized chunks and scatter it on top of the sauerkraut, sausage, and beer mixture. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top of it. Spoon the cooked squash into a blender and process it according to the same directions above. For a no-fuss weeknight meal, use peeled and pre-cut butternut squash from your local grocery store.
• Use pumpkin purée in this soup in place of acorn squash. Bake the sauerkraut, sausage, and beer mixture as instructed, with the 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper sprinkled on top of it. Place one small can of puréed pumpkin, mustard, salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and broth into a blender and purée until smooth.  Bake as instructed above.
• Add one or two diced potatoes to this recipe. Make sure to dice the potatoes into small, bite-sized pieces.
• Serve this soup with this Soda Bread with Whiskey-Soaked Golden Raisins or these Savory Canned Pumpkin Drop Biscuits.
• CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.

Print

Yum

Roasted Acorn Squash Oktoberfest Soup

Ingredients:

Roasted Acorn Squash:
• 2 Small Acorn Squash (Approximately 2 1/2 Pounds Combined)
• 1 (14.5-oz.) Can Sauerkraut, Rinsed & Drained
• 1 (19-oz.) Package Uncooked Beer Brats (Approximately 5 Sausage Links)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 (12-oz.) Oktoberfest Beer
Oktoberfest Soup:
• 1 Tablespoon Hot Mustard
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Directions:

Roasted Acorn Squash:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the acorn squash. Cut each acorn squash in half and scrape out the seeds and any stringy pulp. Discard the seeds and pulp.
3. Place the acorn squash, cut-side facing up, in a 9x13 or larger glass or ceramic baking dish. Place the baking dish on a large sheet pan.
4. Arrange the sauerkraut evenly around the acorn squash.
5. Use a knife or a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the casings off the brats. Discard the casings. Pinch little bite-sized pieces of sausage off of each link and place the pieces evenly on top of the sauerkraut. It will not hurt for a few pieces of sausage to be on top of one another.
6. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the acorn squash.
7. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over everything.
8. Pour the beer evenly over the sauerkraut and sausage. Do not get any of the beer inside the acorn squash.
9. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the acorn squash is tender.
Oktoberfest Soup:
10. Remove the acorn squash from the baking dish.
11. Use a large spoon to scrape the acorn squash out of its skin and place it into a blender. Discard the acorn squash skin.
12. Add the mustard, pepper, and half of the broth to the blender. Purée until smooth.
13. Add the mixture back into the baking dish. Use the remaining broth to clean any residual acorn squash mixture from the blender and then add it to the baking dish as well. Stir to combine.
14. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until nice and bubbly.

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