Every great chef has one recipe under their belt that they hold most dear. For me, this soup is IT. My pride and joy. Over the last 10 years, I have become a Butternut Squash Soup connoisseur, and it is rare that I will see it on a restaurant's menu and not order it to make sure that my recipe is still the best I've ever had.
What's interesting about Butternut Squash Soup is that it is extremely versatile, and I've never seen two recipes that were exactly alike. The more common spices to use in Butternut Squash Soup are Sage, Thyme and Rosemary, but for my recipe, I skip them entirely to make a sweeter, warmer soup with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamon and Brown Sugar for spice, and Gala apples for some tartness.
The only tool I very much recommend for the best results and smoothest soup is a Handheld Immersion Blender. If you don't have one, you will have to let the soup cool once finished, and then you can put it in a large blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Here's what you'll need, ingredients-wise:
Ingredients:
2 Large Carrots, finely chopped (about 1-1 1/4 Cups)
3-4 Celery Sticks, finely chopped (about 1-1 1/4 Cups)
1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced (about 1 1/3 Cups)
2 Medium Gala Apples, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp. Butter
1 Cup Water
7-8 Cups Butternut Squash, seeded and cut into small cubes (I typically like to buy the biggest one available at the market: More Squash, more soup!).
6 Cups Stock (I use Chicken Stock, but Vegetable can be substituted)
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 Tsp. Cardamom
1 1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tsp. Ground (or Fresh, chopped) Ginger
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream (Substitute for Coconut Milk for a lighter alternative)
Optional Garnishes (you so fancy!):
Pepitas (Hulled Pumpkin Seeds)
Olive Oil
1 Tsp. extra Heavy cream poured into the bowl when serving
Cinnamon Sticks
Bacon
Directions:
I start my butternut squash soup in a way that is very similar to the way that one would start a Bolognese sauce; by combining the chopped carrots, celery, onion, the butter, and the diced gala apples into a large stock pot or large dutch oven.
Stir the ingredients so they get equal time on the base on the pot and equally covered in the butter.
Once the carrots, celery and apples have softened and the onions have become slightly translucent, add 1 Cup of water. (This will help the ingredients continue to soften but prevent them from burning as we cut up our butternut squash into cubes).
It is not completely necessary to bake your butternut squash in the oven prior to placing in the soup, but it is totally optional. If you choose to bake your squash ahead of time, it will require a little extra prep, but will take time off of waiting for the butternut squash to cook in in the broth. Optional: Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Cut your Butternut Squash in half and remove the seeds. Rub the open faces of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, and 1/2 Tbsp. of the Cinnamon from the recipe. Place the squash halves face down on a baking tray lined with tin foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the flesh of the squash has become tender to the touch of a fork or spoon. Once cooked, use a spoon to scrape the squash out of the skin and transfer the squash directly into the pot. *If you prefer not to bake, just remove the seeds of the squash, cut it into ~1.5 inch cubes, and remove the outer skin by cutting it away. Place the cubes into the pot.
Once the butternut squash has been added to the pot, add the 6 cups of stock *chicken or vegetable, and add all of your spices at this time; Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, cayenne pepper, ginger, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook covered on medium/medium low for an additional 30-40 minutes, until the butternut squash cubes are very tender. (If you baked your butternut squash already, you'll only have to cook the ingredients for an additional 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors of the spices to mingle- like a round of speed dating, lol!)
This is my favorite part! Once the squash has become very tender, turn off the heat and let the soup cool for 5-10 minutes. If you are using an immersion blender, plug it in and blend the soup directly in the pot, being careful not to spray any hot soup. Blend for at least 3-5 minutes. The more you blend, the smoother the soup will be! If you are using a regular blender, you may want to let the soup cool for some extra time before transferring the soup to the blender.
The final step is to add the heavy cream. Just 1/3 cup will do. Stir it into the soup, and give it a taste. At this point in time you can decide if you'd like your soup a little sweeter or spicier, and achieve that by adding a little more brown sugar for sweetness, or ginger/cayenne pepper for extra bite.
Transfer the soup into bowls, and top with your favorite garnishes; pepitas, a swirl of olive oil or heavy cream, a cinnamon stick, or some bacon! You can get creative here, but my favorite combo is always pepitas, olive oil, heavy cream, and a cinnamon stick.
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