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Butternut Squash Soup to the Rescue
Soup is a good distraction. That’s one of the things I like about it. It buys the cook time to excuse herself and assemble the next course as diners are bent over their bowls, trying not to spill a drop from their spoons.
Pardon me, everyone, while I check on the rest of dinner. Everyone? Anyone?
They’ll be so engrossed in your soup, or this Butternut Squash soup I created, they won’t hear a word.
Tell me if you’re sick of my butternut squash recipes. But I just can’t get enough of this wonderful vegetable. It’s so meaty and delicious and nutritious it has just a modest amount of messy seeds and filaments.
This recipe couldn’t be easier. I roast almost all the ingredients in one pan. (Cover it well with heavy aluminum foil, because butternut squash oozes this syrupy stuff that is a bear to remove once it’s baked onto a surface.)
After everything’s roasted, dump it in a food processor or blender and whirl away. Put it in pot, add everything else and heat it. So easy.
A couple of tips. Go to Cash and Carry on Hartnell Avenue in Redding and buy a tub of the concentrated Chicken Base. (While you’re at it, buy the beef base for another day.) It’s better than canned stuff, and really, I hate to say it, but it rivals homemade, especially after it’s doctored with garlic, onions and herbs.
Second, for the garnish, saute the sage leaves in butter ahead of time and set aside. Also, I like to either squeeze some thinned sour cream or warmed half and half onto the soup. So elegant.
Last, as with most recipes I make, save time in the future by doubling or even tripling it. Make a vat of this soup and then freeze it for later.
One more thing out of the way. More time to work on dessert. Stay tuned.
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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash
1 large yellow onion
2 T olive oil
Fresh peeled ginger, about a 2-inch piece
Fresh rosemary needles, about a palm full
3 cloves garlic, peeled
4 apples, peeled and cored
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sherry
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Half and half
Sour cream and sauteed sage leaves, for garnish
Line a deep roasting pan with heavy foil. All the produce will eventually go in this pan.
Poke the butternut squash full of holes (avoid exploding squash in your holiday oven). Wrap the squash tightly in heavy foil and place it in the roasting pan.
(The others will join the squash later. But because it’s so hardheaded, it’ll need a roasting head start.)
Bake the squash in a 450-degree oven for about 1 hour.
Now allow the other produce to join the hot squash in the roasting pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until everything is soft and nicely roasted. (You almost can’t overdo it.)
Remove the pan from the oven. When the squash is cool enough to handle, unwrap it, peel it and remove the little seeds and strings.
Dump all the roasted ingredients in a blender or food processor. (You may have to do it in batches.)
Transfer the puree to a huge pot. Add the chicken stock. Heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Add the sherry. Adjust seasonings.
Just before serving, add the half and half and return to a simmer.
After you’ve ladeled the soup into bowls, add a swirl of sour cream (or half and half). Garnish with the sage leaves. (Croutons, chopped parsley or chives are also nice.)
Recipe by Doni Greenberg
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Sounds soooo good! We love butternut squash. Does the concentrated chicken base have MSG or nitrates or nitrites? Those additives trigger migraines…….and it is hard to find stocks, bullions, gravies, etc. that are free of those.
I know that the brand MINORS does not contain MSG. This type of stock is great to have on hand if you need to make a quick gravy too!
Thanks Andrea, I’m going to make the soup today, after a trip to the store. Hope I can find the Minors stock. I will be shopping in Anderson, maybe Walmart’ll have something.
Another yummy garnish for Butternut Squash soup is (are?) Goat Cheese croutons.
I toast thinly sliced sourdough bread cubes in the oven and spread a little herbed goat cheese on one crouton and top with another. At serving time, float two or three of these cute little sandwiches on the soup.
Doni - What kind of apples are you using in your soup? When you say “thinned sour cream”, what are you using to thin it? I’m not a sour cream fan myself, but I would think a nice dollop on top would be a garnish that added some “height” as well as a tasty treat in the soup.
Since it IS squash season (YAY!) let’s not leave out the all too often passed over acorn squash. They are sooooo good, especially if you stuff them. They are their own little bowl and presentation is always fun with them.
Oh, and yes, feel free to use an acorn squash. Or, how about this?: Open a can of pumpkin and use that.
Regarding thinned sour cream, you can thin it with a little milk, cream or half and half. (Zap the sour cream in the microwave for a second and stir it. That’ll help, too.)
If you’re not a sour cream fan, but just want some color, you could use plain yogurt. Or sprinkle some bread crumbs or scatter a few croutons. Good luck. Happy souping. - Doni.
Hi Doni,
How much half & half do I put in?
Thanks
Sorry, Judy. Regarding the half and half, pour in as much as your heart desires to make the soup a color and consistency that pleases you. Or, you can skip the half and half, and add more chicken broth, for a thinner, less fattening soup. Good luck. - Doni
Hey, Judy–
Another source of additive-free stocks are the brands Shelton’s and Imagine, which both make a number of healthy (some organic) broths and stocks and are found in most health food stores or equivalent sections of supermarkets. Sunset Market carries Imagine products in their soup section.
Thanks Doni, thanks Celeste. I am roasting the produce right now. They smell yummy and my mouth is watering! I did find a chicken stock, Pacific Natural Roods, Organic. It cost more, but I really do not want the additives. It is available at Walmart. Gotta go, my oven is beeping.
I made the butternut squash soup and it is delicious!
Hi Doni. I just made the soup today, and I agree, it’s delicious. I couldn’t see where you used the olive oil in the recipe though, so I left it out with no problem. Thanks. This is a great website.