This Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is rich and velvety in texture and sweet and nutty in flavor! Topped with walnuts, crispy sage and a swirl of creme fraiche, this soup is decadent tasting, yet healthy on your waistline!
The NSN Thanksgiving series continues, with the starter, appetite inducing, portion of your holiday meal. This soup is meant to be more of a secondary course. You know, pass around the phyllo cups and asparagus spears while you enjoy some banter and mingle with your guests.
Then, refill your loved ones glasses of wine, slip on your ‘hostess with the mostess’ apron, sit your guests comfortably at your autumn themed table, and serve them this course.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Sage Leaves, Toasted Walnuts and Crème Fraiche. This interlude will allow your guests to continually eat and be thankful while you put the finishing touches on the piece de resistance. The turkey. The gravy. The stuffing. The potatoes. (All recipes coming up next, of course. So you must stay tuned!)
Feed them this butternut squash soup while you disappear into the kitchen and provide what appears to be a seamless, drama free, ‘I do this in my sleep!’ Thanksgiving dinner. They don’t need to see you sweat. 🙂
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And, they certainly won’t be paying any mind to what you are slaving away at doing in the kitchen, if they are slurping on this soup!
Creamy, buttery, rich and velvety in texture. Decadent, yet healthy and light. Slightly sweet and nutty in flavor. This roasted butternut squash soup is completely misleading, by making you feel indulgent, when in fact it is healthy! Shhh, I won’t tell if you don’t!
Filled with vegetables, antioxidants, heart healthy fats and dietary fiber, this soup is good for you. The luxurious mouth feel, and rich texture, give you the sense of devouring something naughty, when in fact you are being oh so nice to your body. (Santa is going to love you and put you on his nice list for eating this).
This soup will definitely make everyone at your Thanksgiving table excited for the next course (and ask you for the recipe). Make this butternut squash soup, slurp it up, and let me know how much you (and your guests) loved it! Cheers!
-xoxo-
Cheyanne
- 2 pound Whole Butternut Squash (about 1 large sized squash) – halved lengthwise and seeds removed
- 2 TBS Butter , divided
- Salt and Pepper , to taste
- 1 small Granny Smith Apple (about 4 oz.) – peeled, cored and medium dice
- 1 TBS Lemon Juice
- 1 small Yellow Onion – medium dice
- 2 cloves Garlic - minced
- 4 large Sage Leaves – roughly chopped
- 2 ½ Cups low sodium Chicken Stock
- Pinch Nutmeg
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- Scant 1 TBS Heavy Cream (can substitute half and half)
- 1/3 Cup Walnuts – toasted and roughly chopped into pieces, for garnish
- Crème Fraiche or Sour Cream, for garnish
- Whole Sage Leaves , to crisp for garnish**
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place the oven rack in the middle position.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place squash halves, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Pierce each squash half with a fork or skewer several times
- Melt 1 TBS butter and brush (or use fingers to rub) it all over the top and insides of squash halves. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Roast the squash until tender, and a knife can easily be inserted, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Halfway through cooking time, remove squash from oven and use a pastry brush to brush butter, that has pooled in the cavity of butternut squash halves, onto the tops of the squash. Return to oven.
- When the squash is cooked and knife tender, remove the baking sheet from the oven and set on a wire rack to allow the squash to cool off until ready to handle.
- Meanwhile, melt the remaining ½ TBS butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan, or dutch oven, over medium heat.
- Add the apple, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the chopped sage and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.
- Use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into the pan with the sautéed onion mixture; discard squash skin.
- Place saucepan over medium high heat and add the stock, nutmeg and measured out salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Bring contents to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, over medium low heat, and continue to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove pan from the heat and stir in heavy cream.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can transfer the soup to a blender, and puree in batches.
- Taste the soup and adjust for seasoning.
- For Crispy Sage Leaves: Melt ½ TBS of butter in saucepan. Add the sage leaves and cook, quickly, until till crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Remove crispy sage leaves to a paper towel. Set aside until ready to garnish soup.
- Garnish soup with crispy sage leaves, toasted walnut pieces and a dollop of crème fraiche.
Yield: 5 Cups
*You can keep the soup warm, covered over low heat until ready to serve.
*If you want a thinner soup, add more chicken stock, ¼ cup at a time until desired consistency.
**Use 1-2 whole sage leaves to crisp per person you are serving.
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