Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream
The weather has been brisk and cold which makes me crave a big warm bowl of soup. I had some butternut squash that needed to be used up so I went in search of a recipe. I found this recipe for a butternut squash soup with cider cream on Epicurious that sounded perfect and it reminded me of a soup I had years ago that I loved. It was a fun and easy recipe to make, it smelled wonderful while it simmered on the stove, and it tasted so delicious! I put some of the cider cream into a squeeze bottle and drizzled a swirl on the top. To make it look extra fancy for my kids, I slid a skewer through the swirl to make a fun design. My daughter and I both really loved and devoured this soup! My husband thought it was tasty without the cider cream (he’s not a fan of sour cream), while my son thought it was okay but not his favorite… more for me! The leftovers were even better the next day for lunch.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream
Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butternut squash, leeks, carrot, and celery; sauté until slightly softened, about 15 minutes.
Mix in the diced apples, thyme sprigs, and pinch of dried sage. Add the chicken broth and 1 cup of apple cider then bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove thyme sprig stems from the soup.
Purée soup with a handheld immersion blender (or in a blender) until creamy and smooth.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, boil the remaining 1/2 cup apple cider until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Place sour cream in a small bowl. Whisk in reduced cider. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with cider cream and serve with bacon crumbles, if desired.
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp butter
- 2 ½ lbs butternut squash peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
- 2 cups leeks white and pale green parts only, sliced thinly
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, diced
- 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Dash of dried sage
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups apple cider divided
- ⅔ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add butternut squash, leeks, carrot, and celery; sauté until slightly softened, about 15 minutes.
- Mix in the diced apples, thyme sprigs, and pinch of dried sage.
- Add the chicken broth and 1 cup of apple cider then bring to boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove thyme sprig stems from the soup.
- Purée soup with a handheld immersion blender (or in a blender) until creamy and smooth.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, boil the remaining 1/2 cup apple cider until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Place sour cream in a small bowl.
- Whisk in reduced cider.
- Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with the cider cream and bacon crumbles, if desired. Enjoy!
Good swirl! I’m swirl-challenged. 🙂 And bet this tastes wonderful — love butternut squash. Excellent dish — thanks.
So very creamy and delicious! Beautiful flower pattern atop too, Pam.
Very pretty presentation
Greatsoup recipe and I love the pattern on top of the soup.
GORGEOUS (or should i say gord-geous) presentation! i love the idea of cider cream and the way you’ve used in in this tasty soup. 🙂
Totally trying this out! The cream is such a pretty touch.