Sopa Seca with Butternut Squash

Sopa seca, which translates to “dry soup” from the Spanish, is a Mexican dish that typically features toasted pasta cooked with broth and tomatoes. The toasted pasta absorbs the liquid, yielding noodles that are “dry,” but rich with the flavors of soup. Toasting the pasta, which first is broken into pieces, creates a rich, nutty flavor foundation and an interesting texture for the finished dish. For our version, we opted to use butternut squash instead of tomatoes. The squash added a pleasing sweetness and paired nicely with the seasonings, transforming the dish into a hearty meal for fall or winter.