This roasted kabocha squash soup with soba is a whole meal in a bowl. Sweet winter kabocha squash with nutty soba noodles, crunchy pomegranate seeds and spicy radish slices combine in a warm, comforting soup that is perfect for a chilly fall or winter evening. This soba noodle bowl combines all the best of autumn’s produce.

If you’ve read my recipe for vegan pumpkin pasta with wild mushrooms , you’ll know how difficult it is to find any kind of variety of pumpkin in Barcelona. Butternut squash is pretty much the only option unless you make a special trip to the market before they close at 2:00.

Imagine my excitement to happen upon kabocha squashes at the Asian supermarket (open until 9:00!), and for only one euro each! Less vegetal and sweeter than butternut squash, kabocha squash makes an amazingly creamy vegan winter soup, and without the need for coconut milk.

Roasting kabocha squash highlights its natural sweetness and makes it dangerously addictive. Be wary of tasting a piece straight out of the oven, you may not be able to stop eating it!

It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to roast a kabocha, so you can take advantage to add extra layers of flavour to your soup by roasting a head of garlic and caramelizing an onion. Blended into the soup, roasted garlic and caramelized onion add an extra layer of sweetness and complexity that simply pan frying won’t do.

There seems to be a lot of doubt as to if kabocha squash skin is edible. Yes, you can eat the skin and it’s delicious! It also has a lot of fibre and extra vitamins so it’s a good idea to leave the skin on.

You’ll notice that by leaving the green skin on, the soup comes out more mustard coloured than the bright orange you’d typically see in a pumpkin soup but I believe that the skin adds more flavour (and fibre and vitamins) to the dish. However if you prefer a brightly coloured soup, simply peel the skin off after roasting.

Another great source of fibre and protein in this dish are the soba noodles. I love the nutty flavour of soba noodles and have used them several times before on the blog for this sesame-ginger soba and this soba with shiitake mushrooms dish.

Just as important as building the flavours of this kabocha squash soup is adding textural contrast. That’s where the toppings come in. Pomegranate seeds, green onions and radishes add crunch, a bit of acidity and spiciness while keeping a few whole chunks of kabocha squash give you more to sink your teeth into.

Served with crusty bread, this kabocha squash soup with soba noodles makes a filling, healthy meal!