Butternut Squash Soup with Sage & Parmesan Croutons
This is a beautiful, hearty, and flavorful soup for those chilly winter nights! We often find that butternut squash soups can sometimes be too sweet for us, but this one perfectly balances sweet and savory. If you also prefer your soup a little less sweet, more earthy, and with a bit of crunch on top, then you need to make this Butternut Squash Soup with Sage & Parmesan Croutons.
We Love Soup
Whenever Fall rolls around, we have the urge to make all different kinds of soup, even if the weather doesn’t always cooperate here in Southern California. We love pulling out our big, teal Dutch oven, placing it on the stove, and filling it with all sorts of fragrant ingredients that we cook down until they’re full of flavor. Here are some of our other soup favorites:
Butternut Squash
There is also nothing more perfect for the darker, cooler months than roasted vegetables, and butternut squash is one of those veggies that benefits strongly from a long roast in the oven. It becomes soft and nutty when it cooks, and the natural sugars start to caramelize. We really wanted to play up those flavors in this butternut squash soup while also making sure to balance them with more savory, earthy notes.
Neither of us has ever really liked sweeter soups. We’ve tried other butternut squash soups over the years, and while they’ve been fine, they’ve always seemed too sugary.
To make sure we fell in love with this soup, we wanted to pair the sweetness of the roasted squash with more savory and earthy notes, such as sage and crushed red pepper. The crème fraiche adds a much-needed hint of tang to the soup, and the cream rounds it all out. We crave balance in food, and in all aspects of life, but we also didn’t want to completely remove the sweetness of the squash, so we finished the soup with a touch of maple syrup. It all gets blended in the end and topped with crunchy, nutty parmesan croutons and more crème fraiche, if desired.
Ingredients for the Butternut Squash Soup
Like many of our recipes, there are a couple of different pieces to this one that you’ll need to prepare and then bring together. Don’t worry, though, it’s not too hard. You’ve got this!
The Soup
This soup heavily features butternut squash but it also includes a few other vegetables and ingredients that provide so much depth of flavor.
Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Butternut squash – this is the star of this soup. It’s sweet, mild, and nutty in flavor. It can be a challenge to cut, though, so please be careful!
- Onion – we love using yellow or sweet onions in soup for a sweet, mellow flavor that isn’t as sharp as other onion varieties.
- Carrots – carrots add more nutrients, color, and sweetness to the soup.
- Shallot – we love using shallots in soups because their delicate flavor pairs well with other ingredients.
- Butter – one of the greatest smells in the world is that of onions and carrots cooking in butter. Butter also adds rich flavor to the soup, but you could use oil if you’d rather.
- Salt and pepper – it’s always important to taste as you go, so be sure to try your soup and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. The same goes for freshly cracked black pepper.
- Crushed red pepper – butternut squash can be quite sweet, so a little heat provides balance.
- Sage – we love the taste of sage with butternut squash. It adds even more fall vibes to this soup.
- Vegetable broth – we like using veggie broth to keep this soup vegetarian, but if you’d rather use another kind of broth, go for it.
- Cream – this is a creamy soup, after all, so it needs cream. This helps tone down the sweet flavors of the squash.
- Crème fraiche – this is the secret ingredient in this soup. It adds tang and balance and makes this soup savory and not one-note like butternut squash soup can often be. if you don’t have this, you can make your own! Or you can use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead.
- Maple syrup – we love that this soup is well balanced, and it’s important to preserve some of the sweetness of the squash. Maple syrup helps ensure that the soup has a subtle sweet flavor to balance out the savory notes.
Parmesan Croutons
This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Parmesan Croutons is fantastic on its own, but the croutons take it over the top! They add a really delightful and, in our opinions, much-needed, crunchy texture to the very creamy, smooth soup. Plus, they’re in the title, so we have to tell you how to make them, after all!
- Bread – any kind of cubed bread will do, but we like to use ciabatta or a baguette. Something with a nice crust and texture is best. If it’s a little stale, that’s even more perfect.
- Olive oil – depending on the bread you use, you may need a little more oil to get it evenly coated.
- Parmesan – you can use store-bought, grated parmesan. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but there’s also nothing wrong with fancy!
- Salt and pepper – the parmesan will likely be salty, so be careful not to add too much extra salt here or your croutons will be over-seasoned. Don’t forget to add pepper. Most things are better with pepper.
Making the Butternut Squash Soup
First, roast the squash. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. This will help keep the squash from sticking to the pan, which could cause it to burn or brown too quickly. Brush the open sides of the squash (the inner sides) with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash face-down on the baking sheet and roast for 50 to 60 minutes or until it’s soft.
While the squash is roasting, prep and make the rest of the soup. Add butter to a large soup pot. Add shallots, onion, carrots, sage, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the broth, cover the pot, and cook for about 20 minutes or until the veggies fully soften.
In the same 400°F oven where your squash has been roasting, bake your croutons. Add the cubed bread to a second baking sheet (with parchment for easier cleanup, if desired) and toss with olive oil, parmesan, and salt and pepper. Bake the croutons in the same oven with the squash for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown and toasted.
Scoop out the roasted squash flesh from the skin (you don’t want to add the skin to the soup) and add it to the pot. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, and then blend the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth. Blend in 1 cup of cream and ¼ cup crème fraiche, add 2 tbsp of maple syrup, and taste for seasoning.
Ladle into bowls and top with croutons, more crème fraîche, and sage leaves, if desired.
Butternut Squash Soup with Sage & Parmesan Croutons
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and again down the middle, seeds removed
- 1 yellow or sweet onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- 6 cups veggie broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup crème fraîche
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Olive oil, for brushing squash
- ½ tsp salt, plus more for squash
- Cracked black pepper
Parmesan Croutons
- 2 cups of cubed bread, baguette or ciabatta
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- Crème fraîche, thinned out with water or milk
- Pepitas
- Sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Brush the open sides of the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.1 butternut squash, Olive oil
- Place squash face-down on the baking sheet and roast for 50-60 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, add butter to a large soup pot.2 tbsp butter
- Add shallots, onion, carrots, sage, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes.1 yellow or sweet onion, 2 medium carrots, 1 large shallot, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper, ½ tsp salt, Cracked black pepper, 10 fresh sage leaves
- Add broth, cover pot, and cook for about 20 minutes or until veggies fully soften.6 cups veggie broth
- While the soup cooks and the squash is roasting, add the cubed bread to a second baking sheet (with parchment for easier cleanup, if desired) and toss with olive oil, parmesan, and salt and pepper.2 cups of cubed bread, 2 tbsp of olive oil, ¼ cup grated parmesan, Salt and pepper to taste
- Bake the croutons In the same 400°F oven with the squash for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Scoop out the roasted squash from the skin and add it to the soup pot.
- Cook for another 5-10 minutes, and then blend with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth.
- Mix in 1 cup of heavy cream and ¼ cup crème fraîche.1 cup heavy cream, ¼ cup crème fraîche
- Stir in 1 tbsp of maple syrup and taste for seasoning.1 tbsp maple syrup
- Ladle into bowls and top with croutons, more crème fraîche, and sage leaves, if desired.Crème fraîche, Pepitas, Sage leaves
