I recently revisited my butternut squash soup with a much simpler take on it. I was pleased the original, but it did have a lot of ingredients and was a little involved to make.
Driven both by laziness and opportunity, I stripped the ingredients to the bare minimum. All that is really needed is butternut squash. Everything else is basically optional.
Butternut Squash Soup with Chorizo
Well, almost optional. The inclusion of the chorizo adds a wonderful spicy meatiness that I wouldn’t give up. The wealth of ingredients that make up the chorizo (at least, compared to the soup) provide a great contrast and the strong, meaty flavor compliments the soup nicely.
If you are curious about winter squashes, you can head to my post about types of squash and proper preparation and storage. The more you know!
The recipe also calls for cream, but this can be reduced or eliminated. I’ve had this soup both with and without this addition. The cream contributes a luxurious smooth finish and gives it a richer flavor. Even without the cream, the butternut squash soup is still thick and rich but it feels like a much more elegant meal with it added. Either way you chose, I feel like I have to say again not to skip out on the chorizo.
Ingredients
2 small-to-medium butternut squashes
4 to 5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water)
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
Chorizo (enough to give 3-6 slices per person)
pepper, salt
olive oil
Directions
1. Peel and cut the squash into about 1-inch chunks. Add these to a large pot and fill with just enough of stock or water to cover the squash (add about a tsp of salt if using water instead of stock). Heat on medium high until it starts to boil, then reduce to a simmer for 12-15 minutes. Check for doneness by pressing a chuck of squash against the side or bottom of the pan. If it doesn’t resist much before smushing, it’s ready.
2. All the soup to cook slightly and then blend until smooth.
3. If using cream, stir it in now. Return the soup to the heat to keep warm. Once the cream is added, do not allow it to boil.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook the chorizo for 1-3 minutes. There may be a lot of oil that renders from the chorizo, this can be poured out. Once cooked, blot the sausage with paper towel to remove excess grease.
5. Serve the soup in bowl with a few rounds of sausage placed onto the top of the soup. If desired, crack some black pepper over the top and trace a line of olive oil.
Make ahead tip: Prepare the soup up to the end of step 2. The soup can be refrigerated or frozen until needed. Reheat over med-low heat on the stove and continue with the remainder of the instructions.
1 comment
Using a mix of acorn and butternut gives it a really nice texture and extra vegetable taste. I usually roast in the oven too to get a nice flavor, then scrape out the innards and blend.