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BOOOOO!
This is such a fun time of year! It is filled with beautiful colors, great decorations, and of course fall produce. I mean what is be better than crisp apples and pumpkins? Cranberries and pomegranates? Sage, thyme, rosemary? Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger? Yumm….. It is making me excited just thinking about it!
I feel like October and November is preparation for December. It gets everyone excited for what is to come. Well, at least this is the way it is for me, you will come to learn that I love Christmas. (72 Days!)
Getting back to food….I love to try and get creative with not just baked treats, but dinners too. It is really fun to bring some of the holiday to the dinner table. Of course the added bonus is the possibility of spooking your kids into eating their veggies!
This is a great warm, creamy, and comforting soup. It is light and healthy, but feels and taste indulgent. Just prep your ingredients and simmer away.
The fried sage adds really great flavor to the soup and makes for great presentation as well!
Oh and you can not forget about the croutons! I used half a loaf of leftover beer bread and the flavor combinations were great. But, really any bread will do and of course cutting the toast into ghost is totally not necessary just a fun little idea!
Butternut Squash Soup with Ghost Croutons
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 688 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 8 leaves fresh sage
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt and Black pepper
- 2 pounds butternut squash Pumpkin or any orange flesh squash, halved, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
- 3 cups good-quality Chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream*
- 2-3 tablespoons unsalted Butter
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 slices Beer Bread*
- Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Olive oil or Butter*
Instructions
- Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil.
- Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon. You'll use these for sprinkling over the soup at the end. In the pan you'll be left with a beautifully flavored oil.
- Put the pot back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, crushed red pepper and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to a boil and simmer for around 40-50 minutes.
- When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with an immersion blender or pour it into a standard blender or food processor and pulse until you have a smooth puree (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like).
- Return to the pot and add the cream and butter, storring until mixed through. Allow to simmer on the stove until ready to serve.
- Make your croutons:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Take a ghost cookie cutter and cut your beer bread into to four ghost. Lightly butter one side of the toast and place butter side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top side with as much cheese as you desire. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until your ghost are toasted and the cheese has melted.
- To serve:
- Divide the soup between your bowls, placing a ghost on top of each. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves.
Notes
* The heavy cream is a delicious addition to this soup and I do recommend using it. However, it is not essential and can be replaced with a half cup more of chicken broth. * I happened to have leftover beer bread, which went great with the soup, but any bread can be used. And obviously you do not need to make the croutons into ghost regular old toast would be just a good. *Again the butter adds great flavor and goes really well with the squash, but it can be left out. *To Make Ahead: For the soup: Prepare the soup through all steps. Allow to cool and store in the fridge until ready to eat. For the Croutons: Completely prepare and store in the fridge on their baking sheet. When ready to eat preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place soup pot back on the stove and simmer until warmed through. Bake croutons as directed. *To Freeze: Prepare soup and allow to cool. Freeze in a gallon size freezer ziplock bag up to six months. When ready to eat either remove from freezer the night before and allow to defrost in the fridge, place on the counter and allow the soup to defrost for a few hours, or cut the soup out of the freezer bag and place in a large soup pot on low heat.
Grab a bowl, a spoon, maybe a ghost too, and cozy up to this comforting soup!
This recipe is SO easy and full flavored. I didn’t make the ghost croutons but will be making your beer bread recipe today to go with it for dinner tonight.
Thank you so so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
This is delicious! Just made it for the first time this fall. I love the crispy sage. Thanks!!
Hey Jessica,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
The directions mentions celery, but the ingredients do not list celery…. Does this soup have it?
Hey Janet,
No celery:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This soup is restaurant quality good. I didn’t make the crouton but served with some parmesan crisps.
Hey Corey,
Happy Friday!!🌻 I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it and sharing your review:) xT
Other than peeling and cutting up the squash this recipe was super simple to make. Took it to a party and it was a hit. The red chili flakes made it a little spicier than I was expecting but I like spicy so I didn’t mind. However, if making it for your kids maybe use a little less. I did add the cream at the end but it was good even without it. Will definitely add this to my winter soup rotation, it was delish!
Hey Kendra,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This soup was delicious! So easy to make. My fiancé was skeptical when I told him I was making a butternut squash soup. He loved it! Will definitely be making again.
Hey Danielle,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx
Hello! Step 3 in this recipe says “Put the pot back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery….” but celery is not on the ingredient list. How much celery are we meant to use?
Hi Meredith,
You can skip the celery or use 2 stalks. I hope you love the recipe! xx
Thanks! I skipped the celery but used some orange pepper. And since I had pretzel rolls on hand, I sliced those up, cut out a jack o’ lantern face then toasted. It was all so good! I especially like that this recipe doesn’t require roasting the squash separately. One less thing. Will absolutely make again.
Hi Meredith,
Fantastic!! 🍁🍂 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xT
Hi!
You mention that the recipe has been cleaned of celery. It’s still in the narrative! Just an FYI.
My two foodie daughters turned me on to you and your amazing recipes. Thank you!
Thanks so much for letting me know Lincoln!!
This the best butternut squash soup recipes I’ve made! Even my husband liked it and he doesn’t love butternut squash like I do. It’s so savory and the cheesy crouton makes each bite taste even better. It’s a nice, thick, smooth soup that sticks to your spoon and your ribs. Can’t wait to try some of the other butternut squash soup recipes! We elected to make cat croutons for my 2 year old daughter ? they were a hit!
Hi Jenna,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this today! Divine. Instead of the crouton I garnished with a maple infused marscapone, sweet spiced roasted pumpkin seeds and the fried sage leaf. Just lovely!
Hey Cari,
Thanks a bunch for trying out this recipe, I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best day:) xTieghan
Hi there. Would it be possible to make this in an Instant pot? My family and I love your recipes.I have been making them for years.
Hey Orlando,
I haven’t tried this in the instant pot but I’m sure you could make it work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Is the sharp white cheddar supposed to be put on the toast as well? Or in the soup when adding the cream and butter? I’m assuming the toast since there is no quantity listed? Side note, the celery is still listed in the recipe instructions.
Hey Hayley,
Yes you can sprinkle to toast with cheese. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just checking to see how much celery? Celery is not listed in the ingredients but directions say to add onion, celery, carrot?
HI there! The celery is a typo. Recipe all fixed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi the celery is still listed in the instructions! can’t wait to try this!
Thanks! I hope you love the recipe Melissa!
Soup is a food that makes me fall in love when I first tasted it.
That is so great!
Yum! And festive for Halloween, love it! Would love it if you linked up on my blog hop http://www.w-t-fab.com/search/label/bloghop. Also let me know if you’d like to follow each other!