A friend asked me the other day what my ideal Valentines Day dinner would be. After thinking about it I decided it would have to be a light flavorful meal like this Butternut Squash Soup with a rich and decadent dessert. And of course, a good bottle of wine to go along with it.
Here is what I like to provide for toppings:
Hazelnut cream, a basic blend of light cream cheese, hazelnut oil, and chopped toasted halzelnuts, adding a creamy and rustic flavor to the soup
Sliced pears or nectarines, simply sauteed in butter and topped with a touch of honey to make for a sweet and fruity component to the squash. Or just serve raw as a sweet addition to the soup.
Prosciutto or Bacon, well I need not describe the bacon, besides saying, it added the perfect salty crunch that the soup needed.
Butternut Squash Seeds, toasted with a little bit of olive oil and salt on 400 degrees for about 5-10 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. This would be a nice Vegetarian substitute for the crisp bacon.
Greek Yogurt with cumin, a blend of Greek yogurt with a few dashes of cumin adds a cool spice to the hot soup.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pear or nectarine sliced thin
- 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (optional for a more savory soup)
- 4 cans of butternut squash puree, or 1 whole butternut squash, roasted with squash, roasted with seeds and skin removed
- 4 cups chicken/vegetable broth, plus more if needed
- 2 tsp fresh sage or thyme, shredded
- 1/4 cup half and half, optional
- pinch ground nutmeg, (optional)
- pinch sugar, (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. Add enough pear slices to form a single layer and cook, turning once, until caramelized on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same pot over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter. Add the celery and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the butternut squash puree, the 4 cups broth, thyme, half of the pears or nectarines, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the half-and-half. Add more broth if needed to reach the desired consistency. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with the prosciutto/bacon, remaining pear slices, hazelnut cream, yogurt or seeds. Serve immediately.
- Toppings: Set out the various toppings and let your guests choose which they would prefer. The pears and hazelnut cream make for a more sweet soup, while the bacon, cumin yogurt or roasted butternut squash seeds make for a more savory bite.
delicious!!!!!! i love butternut soup and these toppings are lovely (especially the cream!!). i think mushrooms would be so good too!
This really has nothing to do with food or this recipe, but I thought you'd appreciate knowing that I call Rocky my little butternut squash, AND apparently baby Davis is the size of one right now! 🙂
Your soup looks delicious! I am a topping girl too and I love your suggestions for oatmeal – I never thought of coconut:) I will have to try it! I think I'd have to go with the bacon for the soup – and just about everything else YUM!
That looks amazing. Much better than my butternut squash soup recipe.
i am making this for dinner! i have all the ingredients at home. now all i have to decide is on which toppings to use…bacon or pears….or both?
I say both. I usually prefer the pears while my husband loves the bacon!