By Seth Fera-Schanes

Space comes at a premium in New York and no more so than in the tiny kitchens that are jammed into the 400 square foot apartments found throughout this city.  What should be a simple meal preparation actually poses a challenge due to the lack of space.  This is one of the reasons New Yorker’s love Ikea so much because of their ability to make products tailed for such situations.

When looking up recipes, one might search for one pot meals or something that can be made in bulk to last throughout the week (to save time and having to make more meals in their little kitchen.)

I put together the following Baked Squash and Garlic soup which should make many people living here happy.  All the ingredients can be baked in one pan and then transferred to one pot to finish cooking.  The baking not only softens the squash and garlic but adds a nice mellow, caramelized flavor to the finished soup.

This is a triple threat soup; inexpensive, easy to make and tastes great!

If you have a little additional counter space and own a slow-cooker/crock-pot here are a few more recipes you might consider trying.

Serving size: 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 acorn squash
5-10 garlic cloves
1 medium size yellow onion
32 oz chicken stock
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

Peel and deseed butternut and acorn squash. Cut into even sized pieces, approximately 1 inch cubes. Cut onion into quarters. Peel garlic cloves. Place in a bowl and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a baking dish, add all ingredients. You do not need to spread evenly, pieces can overlap. Bake for about 45 minutes or until onion starts to brown and squash is just about fork tender.