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Silky Butternut Soup with Brown-Butter Croutons
About 7 cups soup and 2 cups croutons Active 25 min Total 1 hr 10 min
Butternut squash becomes especially sweet when roasted on a hot tray. Blended with onion and broth, it makes a silky soup without needing cream. The richness comes instead from small bread cubes toasted in brown butter, which bring a crisp contrast and a nutty aroma. Add the croutons only after ladling the soup, and pass any extras separately. Their crunch is most enjoyable while the toasted bread still sits above the orange surface.
Roast in cubes, not a whole half
A whole squash half is convenient, but small cubes expose more edges to the oven and fit this recipe’s timing. Keep them roughly three-quarters of an inch across. If you buy prepared squash, cut down any large chunks before roasting. The onions soften in a separate pot, which lets you control their flavor without waiting for them to color on the tray. The finished soup should be smooth enough to pour, with broth added gradually if your squash is particularly dry.
Read brown butter by smell and color
Butter foams first, then its milk solids begin turning golden. Watch the flecks on the bottom of the pan rather than the foam on top. When they smell nutty and look light amber, add the bread immediately and lower the heat. Black flecks mean the butter has burned and will taste bitter. The bread should finish crisp and golden, not saturated. A wide skillet gives the cubes room to toast instead of steaming against one another.
Serve the crunch separately
A crouton begins absorbing soup as soon as it lands. For a shared meal, carry the croutons in a small bowl and let people add them after they sit down. This is especially useful if the soup is served in batches. Any leftover bread cubes should be stored separately, never stirred into the pot before refrigeration.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 g) peeled seeded butternut squash, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cups (960 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth, labeled pepper-free and chili-free
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups (85 g) plain country bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Set out
Rimmed baking sheet, Large soup pot, Immersion blender, 10-inch skillet
Allergens
Wheat, milk. Check ingredient labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a rimmed tray. Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning once, until tender and golden at the edges.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook for 7 minutes, stirring.
- Add the broth and thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the roasted squash and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Blend with an immersion blender until silky, then stir in the lemon juice. If necessary, add water a tablespoon at a time to make a pourable soup. Keep warm over low heat.
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Swirl for 2–3 minutes, until the milk solids become light amber and smell nutty.
- Immediately add the bread cubes, reduce to medium-low, and toss well. Cook for 4–6 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp and golden.
- Ladle the soup into 6 bowls and scatter the warm croutons over the top just before serving.
A useful detail
If using a countertop blender, work in small batches and follow its hot-liquid venting instructions; never fill a blender to the top with hot soup.
Make it your own
- Use peeled sweet potato in place of half the squash, cut to the same size.
- Add 1 tablespoon chopped sage to the crouton pan for the final minute of toasting.
Keep it well
Refrigerate soup within 2 hours in shallow containers at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Refrigerate croutons separately for up to 3 days and recrisp in the oven. Reheat soup to 165°F/74°C.