Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Pumpkin Seeds
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Roasted butternut squash is blended with a soft onion and carrot base into a smooth, golden soup, finished with cream, crisp sage leaves and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Roast the squash. Heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Toss the squash with the oil and a pinch of the salt on the lined tin and roast for 35-40 min, turning once, until soft and browned at the edges. Roasting caramelises the natural sugars, giving a deeper, nuttier flavour than boiling.
- 2
Build the base. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the pot over medium heat and cook the onion and carrot for 8 min until soft. Add the garlic for 1 min, just until fragrant.
- 3
Simmer together. Add the roasted squash, broth, water, remaining salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 min so the flavours meld and the vegetables are completely tender.
- 4
Blend smooth. Blend until very smooth. With an upright blender, fill it no more than half full and hold the lid down with a towel, as hot soup builds pressure. Stir in the 80 ml cream and lemon juice and reheat until steaming and just bubbling, thinning with water if needed.
- 5
Crisp the topping. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat and fry the sage leaves for 30 s until crisp, then lift out. Toast the pumpkin seeds in the same pan for 2-3 min until they pop; the sage-flavoured oil coats the seeds as they toast.
- 6
Finish and serve. Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl in the remaining cream and scatter with the seeds and sage.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat until boiling hot (74°C), stirring often.
Equipment
- large roasting tin
- baking paper
- large heavy-based pot
- wooden spoon
- stick blender or upright blender
- small frying pan
- ladle
- clean tea towel
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 402 kcal |
| Protein | 6.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 38.4 g |
| of which sugars | 9.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 27.6 g |
| of which saturates | 10.4 g |
| Fibre | 7 g |
| Salt | 2.34 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
