There’s nothing more comforting than wrapping yourself in a warm, flannel blanket and eating a piping hot bowl of soup as the days become shorter and temperatures begin to dip. This savory butternut squash and sage soup can be enjoyed while you are sitting alone taking in the sunset, or catching up with friends over dinner.
This thick soup is hearty enough to stand on its own, or can be served with toasted artisan bread, a green salad, and a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc (trust me on this!).
Soup can be made the day before and refrigerated in a sealed glass container. Just warm it up on the stove before serving. It freezes really well, too.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash (3-4 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup fresh sage, roughly chopped (plus a few extra whole leaves for garnish)
- 4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock can also be used)
- ½ cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast*
- Plain Greek yogurt for garnish (or sour cream)
Preparation
Cut off the ends of the butternut squash. Then, using a wide vegetable peeler, peel off skin.
Slice butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds (set seeds aside). Dice butternut squash into even pieces.
While you are preparing the other ingredients, soak rinsed seeds in salted water for 15 minutes.
Using a six-quart enamel Dutch oven (or soup pot), heat oil on medium high heat and saute onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and sage until the onions and garlic become translucent and the sage wilts, 8-10 minutes.
Add the diced butternut squash and stock to the Dutch oven and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and cook for approximately 30 minutes, or until the squash becomes soft.
While the soup is cooking, remove squash seeds from the salted water and pat dry. Coat seeds with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and using a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, roast at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. Set aside.
Once the soup is done cooking, reduce heat, stir in half and half and nutritional yeast, and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. I like to blend most of the soup until smooth but leave a few pieces of butternut squash and chopped sage intact.
Ladle into serving bowls. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt topped with a fresh sage leaf, and sprinkle with roasted butternut squash seeds. Serve immediately.
About this recipe
*Note: Nutritional yeast has been a staple in vegetarian and vegan diets for years, but has recently become popular due to its cheesy, umami flavor. It is a great source of vitamins and minerals, and also contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Nutritional yeast can be found in most grocery stores. If you don’t have any nutritional yeast on hand, you can use Parmesan cheese instead, or it can be omitted altogether.
