Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, about 3 pounds, halved, seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus 12 whole leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
- 6 cups light chicken stock or broth
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly coat the squash halves with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Season the inside with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until very tender, about 45 minutes. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and reserve. Discard the peel.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining vegetable oil and, when hot but not smoking, add the sausage. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions wilted and starting to caramelize, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, sage and marjoram, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cooked squash and chicken stock, stir well to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
With a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor or blender, puree the soup. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean saucepan. Add the cider vinegar and stir to combine. Add the cream and adjust seasoning, to taste.
In a small saute pan, cook the butter over medium-high heat until it begins to turn brown around the edges. Add the whole sage leaves and cook until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the leaves to paper towels to drain.
Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the crispy sage leaves.
















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By Chef #1074069
on March 25, 2013
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This was such an uncommon pairing but I had a half pound of Italian sausage and about a pound of cut up butternut squash that needed to be used up. Roasted the cut squash with EVOO for 30 min. I used dried herbs (1/2 tsp each of sage and marjoram and about 1/2 tsp of fresh thyme. Did not do the fresh sage thing. Added about 1/4 t of crushed red pepper. I puréed with immersion blender but did not strain. It was AWESOME. Served with sourdough bread.
By teredesi
New York, NY
on January 13, 2013
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Easy to follow recipe. Delicious. I didn't strain the butternut squash to give some texture to the soup. Also, next time, I will use less sausage in the puree, and add chunks of it on the soup.
By lauraWlovesfood
on January 13, 2013
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OMG!! I wish I could upload the picture I took of my husband with the pot that I made this soup ... The pot was up to his mouth (literally as he was "helping" me clean up after I was done cooking. So funny and absolutely true. This soup is THAT good! We played with the quantities a little using a pound of sausage and a cup of heavy cream along with 8 cups of freshly made chicken stock. We also added a little crushed red pepper to the butternut squash as we roasted it. This was an awesome soup. Trust me!
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