Butternut Squash Soup

There are a lot of good pre-packaged soups out there, but there’s nothing quite like making soup from scratch.  This butternut squash soup is flavorful and creamy, full of hidden vegetables, and is light because it does not have any cream! This recipe makes enough soup for Tim and I to eat it a couple of times each. It has become a staple in our fall and winter recipe repertoire. The roasted squash tastes a little nutty, all of the vegetables add a fresh taste, and it’s very hearty even though it’s a puréed soup.

I used a recipe by Emeril for a guide, but I made a couple of changes. I did not make the tarragon oil or parsnip soup that his recipe calls for. I also prefer to use only 4 cups of chicken stock instead of the 6 he uses. I’ve done it both ways, and I prefer the thicker consistency that results from using less stock.

You’re going to need about two cups of roasted butternut squash, which you can read about here, in my butternut squash risotto post.  One large squash is enough for both recipes, and it freezes well after it’s roasted.  Or, you can buy a smaller squash, about 1 1/2 pounds, just for the soup.

The soup starts with 1/4 of a cup of Italian sausage. What I do is buy a one pound roll of sausage and cut it into 4 equal parts. I use one for the soup and freeze the other portions for future batches of soup – you’re definitely going to want to make it again. I’m sure you could also make it with turkey sausage or leave the sausage out entirely.

The recipe calls for onions, leeks, and shallots. I always use onions and leeks, but I don’t always use shallots. If you don’t feel like messing with them, don’t worry about it.  When you use leeks, you have to be careful about how you clean them. Check out mypost on washing leeks for tips.

At the end, you blend the soup with a stick blender (or you can do it in batches in your regular blender), and that’s what gives it its lovely creamy consistency.  I thought it would be weird to blend it since it has sausage in it, but it turns out just fine!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of Italian sausage (about 1/4 lb)
• 2 cups of roasted butternut squash, about 1 (1 1/2 pound) squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion (about 1 small onion)
• 1/2 cup diced carrot (1 large or 2 small carrots)
• 1/2 cup diced celery (1 large rib)
• 1/2 cup diced leeks (about 1 leek)
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots (about 1 small shallot)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped sage leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• salt and pepper

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Cook sausage until caramelized, and then add onion, carrot, celery, and leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and cook another minute or two. Delgaze the pan with the vinegar, being sure to scrape up all of the yummy bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, then the roasted squash, maple syrup, and sage. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, until all of the veggies are tender. Use a stick blender to purée the soup or blend in batches in a regular blender until it’s smooth.

We like to serve ours with some grainy bread for dipping. Hope you love this soup as much as we do!