Butternut Squash Soup

January 17, 2009

Puréed soups sound fancy to me, so I tried a butternut squash version as a dish for my Christmas feast. It turned out quite similar to my pumpkin soup (sans rock-hard shell) and tasted delicious.

You need two small to medium butternut squash  (about three pounds - and is that the correct plural for squash?), one onion, 5 cups of chicken stock/broth, a couple tablespoons of butter, a couple sprigs of thyme (fresh is better here because it can be removed, but I used dry – a half teaspoon should do), a pinch of nutmeg, a half cup of heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

I began by peeling my butternut squash (a normal vegetable peeler works surprisingly well), cutting off the cylindrical end from the spherical end, cutting each piece in half lengthwise, removing any goopy innards, and finally cutting it into 1 1/2″ chunks.  Next I diced the onion and heated a large pot over medium heat with the two tablespoons of butter.

I added the onion to the pot and sautéed it until it was soft.  I next poured in the stock, chunks of squash, thyme and nutmeg, and cooked this mixture, covered and at a simmer, until the squash was very soft – around 25 minutes.

The next step is to remove the thyme (if you can) and purée the soup.  If you’re using a blender, be sure to cool the soup some before blending.

The final step is adding the cream, bringing the soup to a simmer, and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Tips

• Some might recommend water over a canned broth, but I haven’t done a comparison to taste the difference.
• The soup looks better if you’re able to remove the thyme sprigs.
• The recipe recommends garnishing with homemade croutons.  I didn’t do this, but I think it would be delicious.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 small to medium butternut squash (3 lbs), peeled and cut into 1 1/2″ chunks
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 5 cups chicken stock/broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• Pinch of nutmeg (plus more for optional garnish)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Homemade croutons (optional)

Recipe:

1. Heat the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened.
2. Add the stock/broth, squash chunks, thyme, and nutmeg.  Bring the soup to a simmer, turn down the heat slightly, and cover the pot.  Cook the soup until the squash is very soft, about 25 minutes.
3. Remove the thyme and purée the soup, in batches if necessary.  Cool the soup some first if you are using a traditional blender.
4. Return the puréed soup to the pot, add the cream, bring it to a simmer for a minute then remove it from the heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with croutons and or nutmeg if desired.

Recipe adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

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