Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Brown Butter, Sage, and Ham.

Butternut squash is roasted in brown butter and sage then pureed with shallots, garlic, a hint of maple syrup and crushed red pepper, enriched with sour cream, and garnished with applewood smoked ham, croutons, and cilantro.

I know pumpkin is all the rage, but in my opinion, nothing says Fall like a warm bowl of butternut squash soup. This version begins by roasting cubes of butternut squash in brown butter and sage, a step that can be completed in advance if that better suits your schedule. If you're making this as a part of Fall Meal Plan #3, that's exactly what you did, roasting enough butternut squash for Ham and Cheese Hand Pies and this soup all at once.

After roasting the squash, it's simply a matter of pureeing it with some chicken broth, and cooking the pureed squash with shallots, garlic, nutmeg, crushed red pepper, and a hint of maple syrup. Enrich the soup with a touch of sour cream and then bring on the garnishments.

Top bowls of butternut squash soup with a few pieces of ham, or crispy bacon...

Your favorite brand of croutons - OR, even better, follow this simple recipe for homemade croutons...

Sprinkle on some fresh cilantro...

And serve.

Meal Plans that Include Butternut Squash Soup:

• Weekly Fall Meal Plan #3

Butternut Squash Soup

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• Author: RebeccaBlackwell
• Total Time: 90 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• One medium butternut squash (2-3 lbs)
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (adjust amount to your personal taste)
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (can also use honey)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

Garnishments:

• 2 cups diced applewood smoked ham or crispy cooked bacon
• 2 cups croutons, prepared or homemade
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

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Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Put the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook the butter until it is golden brown; watch carefully – you want the butter to brown but not burn. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh sage leaves.
3. Slice the peel from the butternut squash and remove the seeds from the center. Cut the squash into small cubes – about ½-inch thick. Add the cubes to a bowl, pour the sage butter over the top and toss to coat the squash in the butter.
4. Spread the squash out onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Roast in the preheated oven until the squash is very tender, about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes. Let the squash cool for at least 10 minutes. (Squash can be roasted in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
5. Working in batches, puree the roasted squash with 3 cups of the chicken or vegetable broth.
6. Set a large, heavy bottom saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil. When the olive oil is shimmering, add the chopped shallot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, nutmeg, red pepper, maple syrup, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the the squash puree and the remaining cup of chicken or vegetable broth. Adding the squash puree off heat will prevent splattering. Cover the pan and set back over medium-heat. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the sour cream. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
9. Serve with garnishments.