This squash soups make a great starter and can be cooked ahead if you're hosting. If you want to make this vegan, simply use a dairy-free cheese alternative.
We love butternut squash, it's one of the most versatile and comforting vegetables available in the colder months and turning the humble veg into a soup is a classic way to get the most out of it.
For this recipe, we've combined earthy squash with heady sage, plus meaty chestnuts for a satisfying and comforting soup this season.
Finish by topping this warming soup with crispy, fragrant sage leaves and crumbled goat's cheese (or a vegan cheese if you'd prefer this to be vegan-friendly) for texture and a flavour boost.
skin-on butternut squash, deseeded (see GH Tip) and cut into 2.5cm pieces
2
medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
180g
pouch cooked chestnuts, we used Merchant Gourmet
2
sage sprigs
11/2
litres vegetable stock
To garnish
2tsp.
olive oil
small handful small sage leaves
100g
goats cheese log
Directions
Step 1For the soup, heat the oil in a large pan over low heat and cook the onions for 5min, until softened. Stir in the garlic, butternut squash, carrots and all but about 8 of the chestnuts. Cook for 5min. Pour in the stock and add the sage sprigs and plenty of seasoning.
Step 2Bring up to the boil and simmer for 20-25min, until the squash is completely tender. Working in batches, whizz until smooth. Check seasoning and pour into a clean pan.
Step 3To garnish, heat 1tsp oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile chop the reserved 8 chestnuts. Fry for a few min, until golden and crisp. Set aside on a plate. Add remaining oil and fry the small sage leaves until golden and crisp. Lift on to kitchen paper to drain.
Step 4To serve, reheat the soup and ladle into 8 soup bowls. Garnish with the fried chestnuts and sage leaves. Crumble over the goat’s cheese and sprinkle over some freshly ground black pepper.
Get ahead
Make soup up to 2 days ahead; cool, cover and chill. Garnishes can be made up to 3hr ahead. Store at room temperature. To serve, reheat soup in a pan until piping hot, check seasoning and complete recipe.
GH Tip
For an extra garnish, rinse your butternut squash seeds and dry on kitchen paper. Heat 1tsp oil in a small non-stick frying over low heat, add the seeds and sprinkle over some smoked paprika and salt. Fry gently until golden and crisp, about 10min. Empty into a bowl and leave to cool before sprinkling or munching on.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
