Heaven on Earth

Heaven on Earth

Monday, November 8, 2010

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

When the maples and cottonwoods turn fiery red and gold, and the air turns crisp, I start to think about warm comfort food.
Early November snow on Mt. Nebo
Family and friends start to inquire as to when I will be making this soup and I must admit that I also anticipate it as the squash ripens on my vines.  I love the sweet flavor of butternut and apple soup, but my favorite all-time fall soup is this one...savory butternut soup.  The inspiration for this soup was a pumpkin recipe given to me many years ago by a friend.  We have made and eaten this adaptation countless times since.  I love the soup's bright orange color and savory notes with just a hint of nutmeg. You can add as little or as much light cream (or even milk) as you want, but I am judicious with the cream for two reasons; one.. I don't like to dilute the flavor too much and two...why add calories when you don't need too?  It's creamy and delicious with or without the cream.  Squash soup just doesn't get any better than this!

This soup is easily made in stages or made completely ahead of time and frozen.  I try to make a few batches and freeze them in jars (don't forget to leave a few inches of headroom in your jars to allow for expansion as the soup freezes.  If you forget you will end up with cracked glass jars). 

You might want to consider making this soup now for your holiday table. Just don't add the cream until service as un-whipped cream does not freeze well and your thawed soup will separate. 

As for my family, we will be eating this all fall, and into the winter; in mugs or fine china, right up until the squash is gone.

Butternut Squash Soup
1 1/2 lbs. of fresh baked squash (peeled, and cubed) or one 29-oz. can of pumpkin
3 Tab. of butter
½ C. of chopped scallions
½ C. of chopped celery
½ C. of choppedcarrots
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 C. of chicken stock
1 C. of canned Italian tomatoes, chopped with juice
1/8 tsp. of dried red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. of freshly grated nutmeg
1 to 1/2  C. of half and half
Green onion tops, sliced very thin (save for garnish)

Melt butter in saucepan. Sauté gently onions, celery, and carrots. Add garlic, stir briefly and add chicken stock, tomatoes and squash. Season with red pepper flakes, pepper and nutmeg.

Cook slowly for 1 hr. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and puree until mixture is very smooth. May be frozen at this point.

To Serve:  Reheat very gently with the half and half. Garnish with thinly sliced green tops of onions.

Makes 2 1/2 quarts.

20 comments:

  1. Oh yum, I love butternut squash soup. I wish I had my own supply of it to eat throughout the winter.

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  2. Bonnie -- now I know it, you are a soupie! This butternut squash soup looks so delicious and fallish. Do you eat it for a main dish? Your picture is lovely -- love the cream and onion garnish. I will definitely be making this. I have made your cream of chicken noodle soup twice already -- once substituting some turkey sausage. Joni

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  3. Okay Bonnie, this is on my menu for tomorrow! :)

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  4. I adore butternut squash soup, thanks for the recipe, I'll have to try it soon but replace the chicken stock with vegetable broth. Have a beautiful day! Hope to see you around soon at Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

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  5. Bonnie, I love your Butternut Squash Soup! I'm so glad you posted this. Your last two posts about squash were both very helpful to me as well. You are the queen of squash :)

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  6. Love your hearts in the soup. You are so smart to freeze it to enjoy all winter long.

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  7. Awesome I love Butternut Squash soup and thanks for including the variation.

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  8. Bonnie,
    Your soup will be perfect for me to try with all my butternut squash from my garden. Thank you for sharing.
    Miz Helen

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  9. Let me just say: yum. I've been shyly following your blog since your cute daughter Rachel introduced me to it in London. My mouth waters with each new post!

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  10. OMG. I haven't seen very many creamy squash soups with such a diversity of ingredients. I really, really want to try this soon.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Bonnie, your butternut squash sounds delicious, so creamy and full of flavor...perfect for the cold weather :-)

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  12. I love, love, love butternut squash soup. I have a few from the garden and I want to make a wonderful soup from them. This looks fabulous.

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  13. I have to tell ya...I'm absolutey LOVING anything winter squash this year. When I was young, I didn't even like winter squash, but over the past 10 years or so, it's progressively grown on me and now I can't get enough! Your butternut squash soup sounds fantastic, which I had a big, warming bowl right now. Thanks so much for sharing it w/ the hearth and soul hop this week :D

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  14. I know that squash soups that take on additional sweetness, like apples and cinnamon, are popular. But squash is so sweet on it's own, that I really prefer to eat recipes like this, that contain some savory foils. Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.

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  15. I love homemade soups and it's definitely soup season now. The recipe you've given sounds great so I'll be sure to try that this week with my next batch of soup that I make :) Thanks for the recipe!

    Never heard of butternut and apple soup, that also will have to go on my list of things to make!

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  16. I LOVE LOVE LOVE butternut squash soups! Yours sounds absolutely delicious and delectable. Thanks for joining Friday Potluck again this week - your posts are always so tasty and gorgeous.

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  17. looks so delicious...happy weekend! :)

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  18. Looks incredibly delicioius Bonnie!

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  19. I made this soup tonight for dinner. It's so good. Even better than I hoped. Love the heat from the red pepper. Thanks for sharing it!

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  20. Honestly, I think I've tried just about every combo with BN squash, but I missed tomatoes. I'm going to give this a try.

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