This is a fantastic way to use elk or deer shoulders. Although it takes some time, the process is absolutely worth it. The flavor of the venison that is gamey is eliminated by curing. For a stronger flavor, you can optionally add one tablespoon of pickling spice.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
- 1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 quart chicken broth
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to taste
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Scoop the pulp from the skins. Discard skins.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until tender.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the squash pulp, onion, broth, brown sugar, cream cheese, pepper, and cinnamon until smooth. This may be done in several batches.
- Transfer the soup to a pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish with parsley, and serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 266 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 139 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
So simple. My family begs for it.
The best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. Thank you for this recipe!
I completely omitted the cream cheese and used a granny smith apple for some sweetness instead of the brown sugar. It’s not as rich but still very good.
I make this every fall. My family loves it, and so do I. We put a little sour cream, crumbled bacon and scallions on top, and serve it with buttered french bread. Oh man is that delicious! Whoever shared this recipe, we all thank you.
Delicious
Oh my gosh! This is so very delicious & not that hard or time-consuming to make! A girlfriend of mine shared the soup & recipe with me & I finally made it with farm-fresh squash. I did add 1 whole Sweet Onion & a package of Neufchâtel (light) Cream Cheese. Only one problem – I wish I had made a double batch right away to put some in the freezer!
I love this recipe. It is easy to make and it freezes well. This time I added some roasted sweet potatoes. I kept everything from the original version except for the cream cheese. It is great for the cold days we have been having
Excellent, rich- tasting soup! Reduced brown sugar to 1 Tbl. I want to try making the same cream base and using broccoli or stewed tomatoes as the vegetable.
This is AMAZING good!!!! Everybody like it. I made no recipe adjustments, its perfect as is!
So good. Added a deseeded chopped jalapeño for a little sweet ‘n spicy action. Was not disappointed. Will definitely make again.
I made it as written except….. added 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp cumin, cut the sugar in half and used 2/3 block of cream cheese as suggested by other reviewers. Awesome recipe, serving it on Thanksgiving.
I took the advice of others and did 2/3 the cream cheese block and roughly 1/3 cup of brown sugar, it was still a perfect mix of sweet/savory with these ratios. additionally, I added a few seasonings just for our tastes (chili and cayenne pepper) and it was so so good! will be saving this for thanksgiving this year!
It was really good, but a little too sweet so next time I would use half the brown sugar.
Turned out with just the right creaminess when I used Heavy Cream instead of cream cheese. Also used half the brown sugar. I roasted the butternut squash seeds too! They made a nice crunchy topping. I think I’ll try a dash of smoked paprika and cayenne on top for that great next day serving!
I used a bit more squash. A scant 4 cups. Followed others recommendations and used only 3 teaspoons of brown sugar and 2/3 of the brick of cream cheese. It came out absolutely delicious! The toasted Pepita seeds topping it off.
Delicious as is. Not too sweet especially if you aren’t a squash fan. Family loved it, will make again.
This soup was so good! I used two acorn squash instead of the butternut (I didn’t have one) and it was sill delicious. I thought it would be a little thicker but it was still delicious!
Delicious and easy! I substituted the sugar with an apple and it was perfectly sweet.
delicious recipe. However I only added 1 tbsp of brown sugar as squash is already sweet. And used heavy cream instead of cream cheese.
Maybe a dash of salt and pepper.
Excellent. This is a smooth and rich soup that is easy to make and packed with Fall flavors. It’s on the sweet side, but that all comes from the squash…no sugars added. Really tasty!