| The Vineyard Kitchen | HarperCollins, 2003 | Serves 8
Butternut squashes are a fall and winter staple. Roast them with brown sugar, butter and salt as a side dish, use them to perk up mashed potatoes, or stuff them into ravioli. This roasted butternut squash soup recipe showcases the most simple and gratifying use of the gangly gourd.—Maria Helm Sinskey
LC So the Soup Doesn’t Explode Note: No immersion blender? No problem. An old-fashioned beehiver blender works quite well at puréeing soups, far better than a food processor. However, you need to take heed of a few safety strategies, which author Maria Helm Sinskey reminds us of here: Allow the soup to cool for 15 or so minutes prior to blending. Never fill the blender more than 2/3 full. And it’s a good idea to remove the center plug in the lid to allow the steam to escape. You can cover the hole with a thick towel to protect your hand—not to mention your cabinets and ceiling. Hold the lid securely down and lift the towel slightly to allow the pressurized air to escape as you blend.
Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 3 hours.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (about 4 pounds)
- 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 6 sage leaves
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup crème fraîche
Directions
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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Prick the squash with a fork and place it whole on a baking sheet. Roast until the squash has softened, about 45 minutes. Set the squash aside until cool enough to handle, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Turn each squash half over onto a cutting board and run a vegetable peeler over the curved sides to remove the peel.Cut the squash into 2-inch chunks.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter starts to brown, add the onion and saute until it is translucent and begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the honey to the onions and cook until it bubbles. Add the squash chunks and sage and season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the chicken stock and enough water to cover the squash by an inch. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the soup until the onions and squash are very tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add more liquid if necessary to keep the squash submerged. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
6. Purée the butternut squash soup in a blender until smooth. (Don’t fill the blender more than two-thirds full.) Strain through a coarse strainer if you want a smoother soup or if you prefer a more rustic soup return the purée to the pan without straining. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the finished soup back to a boil. Ladle it into bowls and serve with a small dribble of crème fraîche, about 1 tablespoon per bowl.
- Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup from 101 Cookbooks
- Butternut Squash Soup with Pear Cider and Vanilla Bean from Roost
- Pumpkin Soup with Chicken and Ginger-Braised Leeks from Leite’s Culinaria
- Moroccan Squash Tagine with Garbanzos and Couscous from Leite’s Culinaria
Roasted butternut squash soup recipe © 2003 Maria Helm Sinskey. Photo © 2003 Robert Sinskey. All rights reserved.
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[Ralph Wheat] Excellent squash soup! It makes a great entrée served with some thick, crusty French bread that’s toasted with a little cheese on top.
[Cindi Kruth] Roasting the squash whole made this soup recipe a cinch to make. I didn’t even need to peel the cooked squash—I just scooped it out. The result was a very flavorful and satisfying butternut squash soup. The crème fraîche added a nice touch of richness to this hearty but healthy soup.
[Ellen Lee] This is one of the most delicious soup recipes I’ve tested so far. And that hit of honey and of sage was a knockout. I’d make this more often if I have the time to spare in the kitchen.
[Stacey Horning] A deliciously simple soup rich with autumn flavor—hearty enough to stand on its own as a main dish.
[Karis Vail Schmidt] This butternut squash soup is so simple to make it feels like “cheating,” because it’s so elegant. The roasting of the squash adds a mildly nutty flavor that gently offsets the sweetness of the flesh inside. A great starter for fall menus.
I made this last night as an alternative to my usual butternut squash soup recipe that includes an apple. I loved it! I only had a small butternut so I combined it with an acorn squash and used my own chicken stock. I also added a tough of garam masala at the end – yum!
Love the garam masala trick, Amy. Perfect with butternut squash. Perfect.