I love butternut squash. This butternut squash soup recipe is heartier than most. I add cheese tortellini and cubes of roasted butternut squash. For richness and to cut the sweetness of the butternut squash, I finish the soup with crumbles of creamy goat cheese.
You can prepare the soup by simply peeling and cubing the butternut squash to begin and serve the soup in bowls or prepare the soup with the instructions in the recipe to serve the soup in the butternut squash shell.
This recipes is adapted from my cookbook, New Southern Table.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 (3-pound) butternut squash
- 1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra- virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- Pinch nutmeg, freshly grated*
- 1 1/2 cups frozen cheese tortellini
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons softened goat cheese
- 8 Fried Sage Leaves (recipe below)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans, toasted, optional
- Cooked sausage crumbles, optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Cut the bottom bulb off each butternut squash. Scoop out the seeds from both squash.
Peel the remaining halves of both squash.
Place the unpeeled squash, cut side up on one end of the baking sheet. Cut the peeled squash into 1⁄ 2-inch cubes. Place half the cubes on the other end of the baking sheet. Reserve the other half for another use. Coat both butternut squash halves in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the cubes, and toss to coat. Sprinkle 1⁄4 teaspoon of the salt over the cubes.
Bake for 30 minutes, gently tossing the cubed butternut squash halfway through the baking time. Let cool for about 8 minutes. Scoop the pulp from both butternut squash, keeping the squash shells intact for serving. Transfer the pulp from one of the squash to a blender. Reserve the pulp from the other squash for another use.
Place the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add the onions, and cook over medium heat for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes. Spoon the sautéed onion mixture into the blender. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and nutmeg and the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt to the blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan. Stir in the roasted butternut squash cubes, and cook over low heat until warm.
Fill a medium saucepan three-quarters full with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the tortellini, and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain well.
Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter, and heat until melted. Add the pasta. Cook until lightly toasted on all sides, about 1 minute.
To serve, spoon the soup into the reserved butternut squash half shells, top with toasted pasta, crumbled goat cheese, Fried Sage Leaves, and toasted pecans, if using.
Notes
Fried Sage Leaves 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 8 sage leaves Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sage leaves, and cook for about 1 minute. Be careful because the oil may pop. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and crisp. (Recipe adapted from New Southern Table cookbook). *For freshly grated nutmeg, use a microplane to grate a whole nutmeg.
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