This is about the coldest winter I can remember here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s been in the 30s way more than usual. Being from the MidWest, I feel like such a baby saying that. Growing up, I remember weeks of sub-zero wind chills, the kind of cold that makes you coat feel crispy. Days on end with 2-3 feet of snow drifts and walking to a school only to see what seemed like mountains of snow plowed to the sides of the playground. Yep, I’ve officially become a weather WIMP!
But that wimpiness has upped my soup game. When it’s cold here, and I’m sure where you are, nothing sounds better than a hearty bowl of hot soup. I’ve learned many recipes, but often the simple ones are the ones I return to over and over, until I can just kind of “wing it”, not even needing a recipe. Butternut Squash Soup is one of those.
I saw this recipe in last week’s Sunday paper, and knew it was the perfect dish for dinner that day. So warm, so silky-smooth, I could hardly wait to make it. And, with only a few simple ingredients, a bit of chopping and my favorite immersion blender, this soup was made. I adapted my recipe from the one in the paper, but the list of ingredients is the same with just some amounts and proportions changed.
The thing I like about this recipe is that you roast the squash, rather than chopping it up and boiling the pieces. It is so much easier to just scoop out the softened flesh, and I think the roasting somehow makes it a bit, I don’t know,…richer, …sweeter? Just better, for sure. And, with so few ingredients, the flavor of the roasted squash is simply amazing.
So, fight that cold winter. Warm yourself with this silky Butternut Squash Soup. You’ll be glad you did. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash Soup
I adapted this recipe from one I found in The Seattle Times last Sunday. It was easy to make, with just a few basic ingredients, and infinite choices to make it your own. I roasted my squash with a sprinkling of fresh sage, which was so warming and delicious, but I could see adding ginger, or cumin...
- Yield: About 2 Qt.
- Category: Make ahead, Recipe, Soups
Ingredients
- 2 Small butternut squashes (or 1 large), about 5 lb
- 1 Large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 4 c Chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 c Heavy whipping cream
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and the stringy stuff. Place the squash halves on a large baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, a liberal amount of salt and pepper, and any other herbs or spices, if desired. Pour about half an inch of water in the pan and place in oven. Roast for 45-60 minutes. Flesh should be soft. Let cool 20 minutes.
- While squash cools, saute onion in melted butter in a large pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until soft. When squash is cool, scoop out the softened flesh and add it to the pot. Discard squash skins.
- Pour enough stock to cover the squash and onions, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
- Blend with immersion blender (or in batches using a freestanding blender), until smooth. Add additional stock if necessary to result in desired thickness. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish as desired.
Simply one of the easiest, richest-tasting, low-cal (if you care) soups I have ever made! Roasting does something wonderful to butternut squash, roasted cut- side up or down. Which do you prefer? Sometimes I add a peeled, seeded and chunked Granny Smith apple to the squash while it simmers,. It cooks down to just make you wonder what the extra zing is, when the emersion blender does its work.. Nutmeg is nice to add, as is a dollop of Greek yogurt, especially with the Apple. Pepitas on top too. Soo. Good!
Thanks so much, Carol! What awesome ideas! I think roasting the squash is a fantastic idea, any way, as long as it gets that golden roasty edges, right? And the apple addition sounds wonderful! Love your ideas! Thanks for visiting and trying this recipe!
i love that swirl of cream in the middle! i recently tried the butternut squash soup from jessica merchant’s “seriously delish,” and loved her recommendation of having cinnamon toast croutons (basically toast with butter, cinnamon and sugar) on top. sounds a little sweet/dessert-like, but surprisingly really tasty.
Oh, that sounds fantastic! I think there are so many different spices one could add to this soup. Cinnamon croutons sound like a must-try! I’ll have to check that recipe out! Thanks.