Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Name: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 1½ kg (3⅓ lb) butternut squash, 1 large, peeled, seeded and cut into 3 cm chunks; 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges; 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 pinch chili flakes, or cayenne; 1 l (4 cups) vegetable stock, Vegetable Stock or store-bought; chicken stock also works, but the soup is then not vegetarian; 1 tbsp lemon juice or cider vinegar; fine sea salt and black pepper, about 9 g (1½ tsp) salt; 40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter; 12 sage leaves

Deeply roasted squash, sage brown butter and a little heat

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 1 h 10 min
Level: Easy

Most squash soups taste flat and sweet because the squash is simply boiled. Roasting it until caramelized gives depth, and a spoonful of sage-scented brown butter on top adds the savory, nutty contrast the soup needs.

Ingredients

Soup

1½ kgbutternut squash (3⅓ lb)1 large, peeled, seeded and cut into 3 cm chunks
1yellow onioncut into wedges
3 clovesgarlicunpeeled
3 tbspolive oil
1 tspground cumin
1 pinchchili flakesor cayenne
1 lvegetable stock (4 cups)Vegetable Stock or store-bought; chicken stock also works, but the soup is then not vegetarian
1 tbsplemon juice or cider vinegar
fine sea salt and black pepperabout 9 g (1½ tsp) salt

Sage brown butter

40 gunsalted butter (3 tbsp)
12sage leaves

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: milk, celery, sulphites
Season: Autumn, Winter

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). On a large sheet pan, toss the squash, onion and garlic with the oil, cumin, chili and 6 g (1 tsp) salt. Spread out in one layer; use two pans if crowded.
Roast, turning once halfway, until the squash is completely soft and well browned at the edges, 40–45 minutes. 42 min
Squeeze the garlic from its skins into a pot. Add the squash, onion and stock and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. 5 min
Blend until very smooth. Add the lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Add water if needed until it flows thickly from a ladle.
For the brown butter, melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, swirling, until the leaves are crisp and the butter smells nutty and has brown flecks, 2–3 minutes. Pour into a cool bowl straight away so it doesn't burn. 3 min
Ladle the soup into bowls and spoon over the brown butter and crisp sage.

Why it works

Roasting removes water and browns the surface of the squash, turning one-note sweetness into something toasty and complex. Brown butter forms when the milk solids in butter toast at around 150°C, producing nutty aromas that contrast the sweet soup. A little acid at the end balances the sugars so the soup doesn't cloy.

Common mistakes

Crowding the pan: the squash steams and never browns. Give it space.
Skipping the acid: squash soup without it tastes like baby food. Add, taste, add more if needed.
Walking away from brown butter: it goes from nutty to burnt in seconds.

Variations

Thai-style: Replace 250 ml stock with coconut milk, add 1 tbsp red curry paste with the stock and finish with lime instead of lemon; skip the brown butter.
Crunchy top: Scatter toasted pumpkin seeds or Pangrattato over the brown butter.

Make ahead and storage

The soup keeps 5 days in the fridge and 3 months frozen. Make the brown butter fresh.

Notes

Vegan: use vegetable stock and finish with sage fried in olive oil. Any dense orange squash (kabocha, Hokkaido) works; Hokkaido can be roasted skin-on. Sulphites only if you use vinegar rather than lemon juice.