Butternut Squash Soup | Mendo at Home

This recipe officially kicks off the collaboration between Mendocino Farms and I Heart Yummy. We are very excited to be teaming up with Mendocino Farms and their Corporate Executive Chef, Judy Han. Chef Judy has been kind enough to share her restaurant-style recipes with us, which we will be following as prescribed. On occasion, we'll add in some twists and/or cooking notes that we found helpful throughout the process. We look forward to sharing our experiences with these recipes with you in these upcoming weeks. Please feel free to share your experiences with this recipe in the comments below. We welcome all questions and recommendations as well.

Thanks for reading!

Butternut Squash Soup

adapted from Chef Judy Han

Ingredients

1 each Tahitian or 2 each Butternut Squash

½ cup brown sugar

3 stems of sage

1 each onion, cut into large dice

2 each carrots, peeled and cut into large dice

3 cloves garlic

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

Oil

Salt

Directions

Rinse the squash thoroughly. Cut in half, remove seeds and peel. Put seeds and peels in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to a simmer.

Continue to cook for about an hour to create a squash stock. Strain and set aside the stock.

Cut the squash in large chunks and sprinkle with some oil, brown sugar, whole sage stems, and salt.

Put on a sheet pan and roast in a 375 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes, until the squash is tender and well roasted. Remove sage stems and discard.

In a lightly oiled pot, add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cook for another 10 minutes. Add garlic and roasted squash. Add the squash stock.

Make sure all the vegetables are covered in liquid, adding more water if needed. Simmer for another 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are very soft and tender.

Puree well.

Adjust seasoning with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt. Add more liquid (water or stock), if it is too thick.

Cooking Notes

• The squash stock was a nice addition and added some additional flavor and sweetness to the soup. For those in a hurry, you can substitute a can of chicken or veggie stock in the place of the squash stock.
• Peeling and dicing up a butternut squash is definitely more challenging if you're not accustomed to using a cleaver. A quicker and easier method is to get your squash pre-cleaned and diced - both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have them pre-packaged in the veggie section.
• This recipe produces a sweeter soup. For those who prefer a less sugary taste, reduce the amount of brown sugar. Or add some additional salt may be needed to produce a balanced flavor. If you prefer not to use any brown sugar, you can substitute in peeled and cored pears or apples to the roasting pan and puree all together.
• We enjoy a little heat with our butternut squash and added 1-2 teaspoons of powdered curry.
• For a creamier texture, add 1/4 cup of heavy cream or half-and-half to the soup after adjusting the flavors to taste.
• Those that like a bit of tang and acidity to their soups can drizzle some sour cream or creme fraiche on top prior to serving.
• We indulged a bit by adding some fresh lump crap meat to our version. Other seafood additions, such as lobster and/or shrimp bits atop the soup will make for very happy dinner guests.