Maple Bourbon Butternut Squash Soup

When the weather starts to cool off, the soup season warms up with this maple bourbon butternut squash soup! Without a doubt, this is one of our most favorite soups. Of course, we use the weekend to roast up our butternut squash. Not only is roasted squash perfect for soup, it also is great for a ravioli filling!

Additionally, butternut squash is a vegetable with a long shelf life, so we always keep them around! Unlike so many fresh vegetables, butternut squash lasts for weeks! For this reason it our most favorite fall vegetable! Coupled with rosemary or sage, maple bourbon butternut squash soup makes a great addition to so many fall meals. As a matter of fact, while you are roasting 1, you may as well roast 2, and save some in the freezer to pull out and make soup later in the month!

Besides being long lasting, and tasty, butternut squash is also good for you! Firstly, butternut squash is low in calories, and high in nutrients.  Next, it is a great source of vitamins A and C!  For this reason, we will suggest another dish featuring this darling little gourd!  Clearly your gonna wanna give it a try!

Maple Bourbon Butternut Squash Soup

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Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Butternut Squash, soup

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Bruce and Dina Miller

Equipment

• pot
• Spatula

Ingredients

Ingredients for roasted butternut squash:

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• Salt and pepper
• 4 sprigs of rosemary

Ingredients for roasted spicy walnuts:

• 1 cup walnut halves
• Spray oil
• 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
• Fresh cracked pepper
• 1 pinch sea salt

Ingredients for butternut squash soup:

• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon chipotle paste from canned chipolte or hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons roasted garlic or vegetable bouillon paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup cream or half and half

Instructions

Instructions for roasting butternut squash:

• First, prepare coals, or pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Next, cut squash in half longwise with a very sharp knife or cleaver. Remove seeds and membranes. Place cut side up on a sheet pan.
• Now, drizzle olive oil over the top of each squash, covering all of the cut surface. Mix spices together & sprinkle over the squash. Lay a few twigs of rosemary over the top.
• Bake for 40-60 minutes, checking for doneness by inserting a fork, looking for softness. If smoking, or using a grill, use indirect heat.
• Lastly, allow to cool, and then scrape the butternut out, and place in a container to store, if making soup the next day.

Instructions for roasting walnuts:

• First, pre-heat oven to 400 F. Spray a sheet pan with oil.
• Next, scatter walnuts onto sheet pan. Now, spray of the tops of walnuts lightly with oil.
• Lastly, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne or smoked paprika.
• Bake for 5 minutes, turning, bake for another 5. Remove from pan, and cool.

Instructions for preparing butternut squash soup:

• Heat up olive oil in a Dutch oven, or heavy soup pot. Sautee onions, stirring with a wooden spoon for a few minutes. Add garlic, and continue to stir and break up garlic, watching for a light golden color.
• De-glaze the onions by adding in bourbon. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits.
• Time to add in the butternut squash. Allow squash to mix in and slightly warm.
• Next , pour in vegetable stock. Stir to distribute ingredients.
• Add maple, chipotle, and bouillon, and taste. Then season with salt and pepper. At this point, you can use an immersion blender to make smooth, or put into a blender for a few pulses, then back into the pot.
• Finally, right before serving, stir in cream, just enough to warm. Serve soup with sage leaves and walnuts.

Notes

Instead of only roasting one butternut squash roast 2! Especially on the weekend!  If you are already grilling out, just add 2 squashes at the end! And they keep in fridge for up to a week. You can also roast extra and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. We roast them once we are finished cooking out for the day, and make great use of the coals that are already going!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More comforting soups to try!

• Spicy Turkish Red Lentil Soup
• Panera 10 Vegetable Soup
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Rotisserie Chicken Tortilla Soup