My mouth is watering as I’m writing thinking about how good this soup is, and I may or may not be drooling a little too. I LOVE this soup, it’s made with very few ingredients but you don’t need a lot of ingredients because roasted butternut squash is bursting with rich buttery flavor all by itself. I used to steam or boil the butternut squash for the soup but a few years ago I began roasting the squash, which is much easier by the way, and flavor wise it was a huge game changer. To roast the squash simply quarter the squash and remove the seeds. Place the squash skin side down on a parchment lined roasting pan, sprinkle some salt and throw it in the oven at 425 for a about an hour. Simple! Your squash will look like this when it’s ready. Let the squash cool and then remove the flesh from the skin. I usually take a small paring knife and run it between the skin and the flesh and then use a spoon to remove the flesh.
Once you have the flesh removed, heat a dutch oven over medium heat and sauté your shallots and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add the squash and chicken broth and bring it to a simmer. Remove from heat and blend the soup in batches or use an immersion blender to create a smooth consistency. Add a small amount of cream (you can omit the cream if you want to keep this diary free) a teaspoon of pure maple syrup and S & P to taste. Guess what? You’re done…you now have a rich, smooth, beautiful roasted butternut squash soup. Garnish with crispy sage, creme fraiche, pomegranate seeds or toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve in cute mini soup bowls as a first course for a dinner party or Thanksgiving or throw it in a big soup bowl for a meal.
Stephanie Heymann Photography
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 Tbsp good quality olive oil
- 1 large shallot, minced (approximately ½ C)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 4 C low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- ¼ C cream
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half and cut the halves in half, so you have 4 quarters. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay squash flesh side up, season with salt and roast for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled remove the flesh from the skin with a spoon and set aside.
- Heat a large dutch over medium heat, add olive oil and allow to heat. Add minced shallots and sautee for about 3-5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add chicken stock and butternut squash and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Add maple syrup, cream and S&P and blend again. Can be made ahead or serve immediately. Garnish with your choice of crispy sage, creme fraiche, pumpkin seeds, pomegranite seeds, etc.
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