Description
Creamy butternut squash soup delivers comfort through its velvety blend of seasonal ingredients. Home chefs can easily craft this warming French-inspired recipe with simple pantry staples and minimal preparation.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ large butternut squash (cooked, mashed)
- ½ large acorn squash (cooked, mashed)
- 2 large onions (sliced thin)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 can chicken broth (14 oz / 414 ml)
- 1 can evaporated milk (14 oz / 414 ml)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp sage
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- olive oil (for sautéing)
- sea salt
- fresh ground pepper
- few slices of bacon (cooked crisp and crumbled)
Instructions
- Flavor Foundation: Gently warm olive oil in a large saucepan, infusing it with minced garlic, fresh thyme, and sage. Season with salt and black pepper to develop a robust aromatic base.
- Soup Composition: Blend roasted butternut squash puree with whole milk and chicken broth, incorporating ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon. Simmer the mixture for 25-30 minutes, stirring intermittently to ensure smooth consistency and prevent burning.
- Caramelized Topping: In a separate skillet, transform onions into golden, translucent strands with crispy edges. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle granulated sugar, and season with salt and pepper over medium-low heat until perfectly caramelized.
- Presentation: Ladle the velvety soup into serving bowls, crowning each portion with delicate caramelized onion strips and crisp bacon pieces to introduce a delightful textural and flavor contrast to this quintessential autumn comfort dish.
Notes
- Roast Squash Deeply: Achieve maximum caramelization by roasting butternut squash until edges are golden brown, intensifying natural sweetness and developing richer flavor layers.
- Gentle Simmering Matters: Maintain low heat while simmering soup to prevent milk from scorching and preserve delicate flavor nuances, stirring periodically for smooth consistency.
- Sugar’s Caramelization Secret: Adding a pinch of sugar helps onions transform faster, creating deeper golden color and complex sweet-savory undertones without burning.
- Texture Is Key: Layer crispy bacon and caramelized onions strategically to introduce contrasting textures, elevating the soup from simple to extraordinary dining experience.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg