Honeynut squash soup With Crispy Sage

This warm and cozy Honeynut squash soup topped with crispy sage leaves is exactly what the doctor ordered for cooler weather and darker evenings.

As the season starts to turn and the garden gives me fresh and exciting Fall produce, I love coming up with new recipes and trying new flavor combinations. Today, I went out to the vegetable patch and brought back ripe Honeynut squash, some apples, sage leaves, garlic, and shallot.

Jump to:

• Why you will love this Honeynut squash and apple soup?
• What goes into this Honeynut Squash soup?
• How to cook Honeynut Squash soup
• Recipe variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• FAQ
• More Soup recipes
• Recipe Card

I've been waiting for the Honeynut squash to ripen for a while, and when it turns that rich golden honey color, I knew it was ready. The best thing about this Honeynut Squash soup recipe is that it is very quick to make, and well within an hour of me picking everything, I was eating this soup!

It's sweetened by the apple and deliciously fragrant from the sprinkle of nutmeg, but the sautéed Honeynut squash and shallot in butter is what makes it my absolute favorite. Anything sautéed in butter is a winner for me, though…but anyway, keep reading for the recipe and directions…

This Honeynut squash soup is best enjoyed when the veg is in season, so September onwards. Although you can use frozen Honeynut squash as this is easy to keep in the freezer and use whenever the mood takes you!

I am busy in the kitchen adding to my list of other Fall recipes (autumn recipes) at the moment, and if you have any requests for a particular ingredient, please let me know! I love hearing from people with questions about how to use something and being able to create something.

Why you will love this Honeynut squash and apple soup?

1. Delicious and healthy: Honeynut squash soup is a delightful and flavorsome dish that will tingle your taste buds. The sweetness of Honeynut squash pairs very well with savory, meaty stock creating a well-balanced flavor profile in this soup. Not forgetting the nutrients that you get from Honeynut Squash, vitamins A and C, fiber, and potassium.
2. Easy to Prepare: Making honeynut squash soup is a relatively simple process. This recipe involves a little bit of sautéing, then the majority of the cooking time goes to simmering until the honeynut squash is tender.
3. Versatile and Customizable: this soup can easily be customized to suit your preferences or dietary needs. You can use any type of autumn squash and level up the creaminess with coconut milk or Greek yogurt. Experiment with different flavors of spices.

What goes into this Honeynut Squash soup?

This is a really quick and easy soup recipe with only a few ingredients, and it will be ready in 30 minutes which is a dream for those days when you run out of time.

1. Honeynut squashes: peeled and chopped into small chunks. See the FAQ below on how to pick the perfect honeynut squash for this soup. If you can't find honeynut in grocery stores or markets, you can substitute acorn squash or butternut squash.
2. Apple: my apple was a mixture of red and green, but you can use green apples with less sugar. Honeynut squash is sweet already, and we don't want this soup to taste like a dessert.
3. Shallot: I used shallots, but you can use regular white or yellow onion.
4. Butter: I used butter for softening the shallot as well as toasting the bread for garnishing the soup. You can also just use olive oil alone.
5. Chicken stock or broth: this broth acts as our liquid in this soup, but it also adds that meaty, savory flavor. Use low sodium broth if buying store-bought.
6. Olive oil: you can use any vegetable oil of your choice. 

What you need to add flavors to your savory honeynut squash soup

1. Nutmeg: has a warm, nutty, earthy, and comforting aroma that just brings out the best of flavors in this Honeynut squash soup.
2. Garlic: when sautéed it releases a pungent and spicy aroma which compliments the nutmeg flavors very well.
3. Salt and pepper: this pair is often taken for granted, but their presence adds so much value. A pinch of salt brings out all the flavors, and freshly ground black pepper gives an extra bit of very subtle spice.

For garnishing the soup

1. Bread: I made delicious crispy croutons, but you are welcome to make any size and shape for your soup dunker.
2. Sage leaves: I toasted these leaves to release their slightly minty, musky taste before garnishing the soup.
3. Cream: This squash soup is drizzled with heavy cream. You can substitute with coconut cream or half and half.

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities.

How to cook Honeynut Squash soup

1. Peel and core the squash and apples. Cut them into small chunks.
2. Dice the shallot and garlic, and melt some butter in a thick-bottomed casserole pot.
3. Soften the shallot in the butter before adding the squash, apple, and garlic.
4. Grate over the nutmeg and leave the flavors to combine for another few minutes over low heat.
5. Pour over the stock/broth and bring to a simmer.
6. Leave for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.
7. Meanwhile, make your garnish.
8. Cut the crusts off your bread and cut them into small cubes.
9. Heat some butter and oil in a pan and fry the bread on all sides until crunchy, seasoning with salt and pepper.
10. Adding a bit more butter to the pan, now make your crispy sage leaves. Simply fry them for a couple of minutes, watching so that they don't burn.
11. Blend in a food processor or with an immersion blender and return to low heat.
12. Ladle the Honeynut squash soup into warm bowls and top with the crispy sage leaves and crunchy croutons. Drizzle over some heavy cream and serve.

Hint: I prefer to use an immersion blender to blend this soup as it requires less washing up than using a food processor, and you can easily check the consistency.

Recipe variations

Here are a few ways you can make this dish suit you.

1. Spicy - add chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper while cooking to give this a bit of heat.
2. Deluxe - add some crispy prosciutto when frying your croutons and add them on top too.
3. Vegan - Make this honeynut squash soup vegan by substituting your butter and cream for non-dairy versions and using vegetable broth.
4. Roasted honeynut squash soup - Try this recipe with roasted honeynut squash, shallot, and garlic.

If you love squash recipes, try this quick butternut squash ravioli with a delicious brown butter sauce.

Equipment

I make all my soups in Le Creuset, which I know I talk about all the time. But honestly, it's just so worth the money and lasts forever. I still use the Le Creuset Dutch Ovens and other cookware that my parents were given as wedding gifts in 1975.

Oh, and I LOVE an immersion blender. So useful.

Storage

Store any leftovers in the fridge and consume them within 2-3 days. To reheat the soup, let it simmer on low to medium heat in a saucepan for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Although these ingredients don't freeze well, you can, however, freeze some chopped honeynut squash as a meal prep for the next time you want to try more honeynut squash recipes. In a zip lock bag, it will stay fresh in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Top tip

1. Using butter really elevates this dish, so I'd really recommend not skipping it! I am of French descent, so cooking with good quality European butter is in my DNA.
2. When reheating leftover soup, If the soup is too thick, you may add a tablespoon of water or allow it to simmer for longer uncovered if it's too runny to boil it down and thicken it.
3. If you choose to blend the soup in a food processor, make sure it cools down first.

FAQ

More Soup recipes

Recipe Card