This fantastic soup is best made with varieties of squash that have dense, orange flesh, such as butternut or onion squash. It’s important to use good chicken stock and season the soup well to bring out the nutty, sweet flavor of the squash. Once you’ve mastered this recipe, you can take the soup in different ways by adding pearl barley, dried pasta, or some chopped bacon. Even the smallest amount of dried porcini. P.S. I made this in my pressure cooker the other day, with really great results – it’s so quick!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 16 fresh sage leaves
- 2 red onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
- 1/2 fresh red chile, to taste, seeded and finely chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 1/4 pounds butternut squash, onion squash, or musque de Provence, halved, deseeded and cut into chunks
- 2 quarts good-quality Chicken or vegetable stock
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 16 slices ciabatta bread
- 1 chunk Parmesan, for grating
Instructions
- Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil.
- Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels – you’ll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you’ll be left with a beautifully flavored oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chile and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 30 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ciabatta slices, and press some grated Parmesan onto each side. Place in a non-stick pan without any oil and fry until golden on both sides.
- When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with an immersion blender or pour it into a standard blender and pulse until you have a smooth puree* (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it’s perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls, placing 2 croutons on top of each. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 626 |
| Total Fat | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 69 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 12 mg |
| Sodium | 1481 mg |
Reviews
This is THE BEST soup and is so easy. It’s unbelievably creamy, though it is dairy-free! I’ve served this as a side, and even as a soup for Thanksgiving. Truly delicious, and the tiny bit of heat from the pepper is perfect.
I began with ground sage in the olive oil and added parsnips to the carrot & onion mirepoix. I also used a dried, seeded pequin chili. And I used half butternut, half kabocha. The sweetness of the parsnips and the punch of the chili added to the more intensely flavored kabocha and resulted in a lovely juxtaposition of flavors that complement the Parmesan toast nicely.
I was so glad to find this recipe again. I made this for Thanksgiving 3 years ago and remember just how good it tasted. It has a rich taste although it is not fat or dairy laden. It will be on our menu this year and I’m so looking forward to the smell of the sage infused olive oil in my kitchen.
This really is fantastic soup. I added pancetta and used red pepper flakes instead of fresh chile.
It needed something…….. I followed the recipe exactly as written. The soup was merely okay–and it tasted like it needed something, but I wasn’t sure what. I whisked in a 1/4 cup of good maple syrup which helped; I then added 4 oz of mascarpone cheese. Better, but still was missing a richness or fullness of flavor. I’m thinking it needs another spice for warmth–cinnamon maybe?? I will make it again, perhaps with some bacon next time.
I never would’ve guessed that this soup was truly a 5 star soup, but… mmm…mmmmm…mmmmmmm. fragrant, spicy, and light. the sage was a smart idea. a perfect soup for a cold day.
If you are thinking about it, stop thinking and start making this soup!
Very tasty and flavorful without the fat! Easy to make. Loved it.
I have to agree with everyone. This was dee-licious, fast and easy. I roasted the squash face down in the oven first, and then added it to the vegetables and broth. thnx!
OMG, this was one of the best soups I have ever had. My suggestion is to make is a day in advance and let sit. This seems to thicken up the soup. I cut the croutons into chunks and added them to the soup in place of using the croutons to dip. Great receipt!!!
This recipe is perfect! I followed the recommendation of dense pumpkins and good chicken stocks turned out delicious. The parmesan toast also go so well. Thanks for your thorough recipe Jamie!