Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe
Butternut squash and pumpkin are the two produce staples that make transitioning into cold weather so much easier. Butternut squash soup is one of my favorite go-to’s on a cold day. I personally am not a fan of the cream-based version, as it feels like I’m eating ice cream without the satisfaction of…eating ice cream. The butternut squash soup at Fresh Corn Grill in West LA is hands down my favorite butternut squash soup – dairy-free, not too sweet, not too salty – perfect every time. I wanted to try and recreate it as one of the courses for the Christmas dinner I made for my dad and I last year (yes, this post is VERY late). The ingredients in a recipe I found on Simply Recipes seemed like it would taste pretty similar to FCG’s.
Let me just start by saying – ANYONE can make butternut squash soup. You basically just chop up a bunch of veggies, cook it in broth, and then blend it all together. If you overcook it, it doesn’t matter! I broke out the blender I had been neglecting since I bought it on black Friday a couple years ago.
Here’s the recipe!
Note that the smaller you chop your vegetables, the faster they will cook. 1/2-inch chunks work just fine for the apple and butternut squash, but I would recommend finely dicing the onion, celery, and carrot.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 rib of celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
- 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
- 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 1 cup water
- Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and heat the butter for 1-2 minutes. Do not let it turn brown. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, taking care to turn the heat down if the vegetables begin to brown.
- Add squash, apple, broth and water. Bring to boil. Cover, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until squash and carrots soften. Puree, and return to a clean pot.
Blend! - Add salt and spices to taste, and garnish with chives or parsley.
I paired this as an opener to the filet mignon with a balsamic pan sauce and truffle oil that we had at Christmas dinner. It was definitely sweeter than Fresh Corn Grill’s – probably because of the apple. I think if I were to make this again in an effort to mimic FCG’s, I would nix the apple and triple the amount of celery and carrot and lessen the amount of spice. I was definitely heavy-handed with the latter. I still couldn’t get enough of this recipe though – I’ve made it two more times since.
