By Krista Suter
November is Native American Heritage Month! To celebrate, we are going to share a traditional recipe: Three Sisters Soup. The three sisters refer to corn, beans, and squash, which grow harmoniously. They support one another during their growth and were staples of a Native diet. This soup can easily be modified to incorporate other veggies of your choice. It is nutritious, delicious, and very affordable. It is also simple, so here is how to make it:
What you need:
3 tbsp butter or oil
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 butternut or acorn squash, roasted and pureed
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cooked beans
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
To make the soup, begin by heating the oven to 400 degrees. I roasted the butternut squash while I made the soup base because the pureed squash is added at the end. To make the roasted squash begin by peeling, deseeding, and cubing the squash. I used Butternut, but any squash works! You can also simplify the process by using frozen butternut squash.
On a pan, distribute the cubed squash and toss it in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the pan of squash in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown. I will show the finished result later in this recipe!
For the soup base, begin by mincing 1 cup of onion. Mince 1 clove of garlic. In a medium pot, add cooking oil, about 1 tbsp, and heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
Keeping the pot on medium heat, add in the spices and salt. I had them ready in a bowl to throw in. Stir to combine the onion, garlic, and spices and cook for 1 minute.
Add 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth. It just so happens a carton of stock in 4 cups!
You will then add in the frozen corn and cooked beans. If you are using canned beans, as I did, make sure to rinse them. The recipe calls for 1 cup of beans, but I went ahead and added the whole can. Extra fiber!
Stir to combine the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes.
With the soup base simmers, your squash should be ready. You want it cooked through and brown on the edges.
Use a blender or food processor to puree the squash. I used a blender and added some of the broth to help the squash blend smoothly. Then, add the pureed squash to the soup when it is done simmering.
Stir to combine, and you are done! The squash makes the soup creamy and slightly sweet. I LOVE this soup and can’t wait to experiment with other vegetables. All-in-all, this would feed 4-6 for about $10! It makes great leftovers for lunches during the week or can be frozen. I hope you enjoy this soup in its delicious simplicity! It was traditionally eaten with bannock or fry bread, which is another recipe we shared on our blog. Try them both!
Ready to try our Native American Heritage Month recipes? The West Wyandotte Library has take home recipe kits for this bread and Three Sisters soup! The kits include bags of dry ingredients to make bread and the spices for the soup. Use our curbside service at the West Wyandotte Library to pick up yours today, or call us at 913-295-8250 ext. 5 to reserve your kit! Recipe cards included. Available while supplies last.