Fall in a Bowl: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Crispy Sage Leaves

Sadly, I wasn’t able to make it to any apple orchards this year. Picking my own apples and gathering my own pumpkins are some of my favorite fall activities, but alas the Emerald Isle called me away during the perfect part of the season to pick Pink Ladies and Honey Crisps.

So when Doug’s roommate Ian brought home a beautiful butternut squash and I found some gorgeous Granny Smith apples at my local fruit market, I knew it was time to make a soup celebrating my favorite season—fall.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup really is autumn in a bowl. Curry powder complements the sweetness of the squash and offsets the tartness of the apples, while also adding homey fragrant warmth to this soup. I like to add a good dose of cayenne pepper to this soup at the very end to add a spicy, complex note to this sweet soup, but feel free to eat it as.

Oh yeah, and a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich would be the perfect dipper for this tummy-warming soup.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
To cube the squash, peel it, cut it in half, remove the seeds and then cut it into chunks. Use vegetable stock to make this vegetarian. Click here for a print copy of this recipe.

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 large sweet Vidalia onions, chopped
2.5 Tbs. sweet curry powder
2 large butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cut into cubes
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 (12 oz.) bottle hard cider, or 1.5 c. apple cider or apple juice
5 c. low-sodium chicken stock, preferably homemade
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Oil for frying
Sage leaves

Sweat onions and vegetables. Heat butter and oil over low heat in a large stockpot. Add the onions and cook over low heat for about 10-15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the butternut squash, apples, and curry powder to the onions and sauté for 3 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Add vegetables to sauteed onions

Add squash, apples and curry powder and saute 3 minutes.

Add liquid and simmer. Add the hard cider and chicken stock to the pot until the vegetables are covered with liquid. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the veggies are very soft.

Add hard cider and chicken stock and bring to boil

My sister, Annie, was my lovely kitchen bitch for this meal. Thanks Annie!

Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until veggies are tender

Puree, season and serve. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a food blender or food mill. Return soup to pot and season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, which gives this sweet soup a nice spicy aftertaste.

Puree the soup with a hand blender, food mill, or blender

The pureed soup

Make crispy sage leaves for garnish, if desired. Heat a little oil in a small sauce or sauté pan. When the oil is hot, dip or lay the sage leaves in the oil, turning them if necessary, and fry until crispy, about 5-10 seconds.

Fry sage leaves in hot oil in a skillet or saucepan.

The garnished soup