Savory Butternut Squash Soup hints of autumn’s colorful warm glow. Its flavor mellows your soul as you debate should I turn the heat on yet? this soup cuddles you in its warmth, diverting your attention from that thermostat for another day. My intention was to make my Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, but as I looked out onto my patio, I saw all those beautifully green herbs calling me to rescue them. So I ventured out to see what I could use. Which of these would be considered savory? My choice was thyme and sage. Now, let’s get on with this current moment of creative thinking…or is it cooking?
Prep the veggies and the apples. Aren’t those colors beautiful?
Sauté shredded carrots, celery and onion until onions are translucent.
Toss the butternut squash and apple into pot with herbs. The chill is putting a damper on my herbs which flourished this summer, so I better use what I can and harvest more so I will have them to use over the winter. In this recipe, I just grabbed a handful of thyme sprigs and a couple stems of sage. These two would definitely accentuate the chicken broth.
Add the chicken broth.
…and the spices. Continue to boil on low heat for approximately 20 minutes or until squash is tender enough to mash with the back of a wooden spoon.
Ladle soup ingredients into the food processor and puree. Pour back into Dutch oven on low temp to keep warm until served. You could drizzle some cream into your soup bowl and swirl it around. I have to admit, this was not my most artistic moment as I was a little heavy-handed with the cream.
Or, you could go with a simple presentation. Voila!
Maybe a garnish of fresh thyme would tantalize the eyes enough desire to dip a spoonful of its incredible flavor into your mouth. Believe me, this is something you will need to make on a chilly fall or winter’s eve.
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Serves: 6 servings
- 5 c. butternut squash, seeded, peeled, diced
- 1¾ c. Honeycrisp apples, diced
- 2 T. EVOO
- ½ c. celery, diced
- ½ c. shredded carrots
- ½ c. red onion, diced
- 4 c. chicken broth( I used Better than Bouillon brand.)
- thyme sprigs
- sage leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ t. ground ginger
- ½ t. turmeric
- ½ t. black pepper
- Prep all veggies and apples.
- Place olive oil in Dutch oven over medium low heat.
- Sauté celery, shredded carrots and onion until onions are translucent.
- Add in Butternut squash and chopped apple. Continue to toss with other veggies for about 5 minutes.
- Add in thyme sprigs, sage leaves and bay leaves along with broth to Dutch oven.
- Sprinkle in the ginger, turmeric and black pepper.
- Bring to a low boil for about 20 minutes or until squash is softened.
- Ladle into a food processor to puree.
- Pour back into the Dutch oven and keep heat on low until served.
- Garnish with such things as thyme sprigs, cream, crumbled bacon or toasted pumpkin seeds.
