One of my favorite parts about this time of the year? The fact that it is officially soup season! And while I am one of those people who will happily slurp up a bowl during the summer months, I love it about ten times more during cold weather. I will confess that my soup making can get a little out of hand, but cozying up with a piping hot bowl while wrapped in a blanket? It just doesn’t get much better.
Butternut squash soup has long been a staple at our house, but it wasn’t until recently that I tried topping it with crispy Brussels sprouts. And let me tell you, the combo is out of this world.
The soup base is creamy, thick and comforting. It’s filled with a touch of apple, carrot, nutmeg and coconut milk, giving it both sweet and savory flavors. Which pair ever so well with slightly crispy and tender maple roasted Brussels sprouts. It’s no wonder my soup making is out of hand!
Now, a few notes on the recipe. I personally prefer butternut squash soup on the thicker side, so I try to add as little broth as possible (just enough to get it moving in my blender). But you can certainly add as much broth at the end of the recipe as you’d like to get it to your desired consistency.
And as far as the Brussels sprouts, use your judgment to cut the sprouts to about the same size so that they roast evenly in the oven. And don’t discard any outer leaves that fall off when cutting! They get so wonderfully crisp after baking!
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 7 cups butternut squash chunks about ½ to ¾ inch in size
- 1 cup peeled and chopped apple about ½ to ¾ inch in size
- 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups vegetable broth divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup canned coconut milk
For the Brussels sprouts:
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts trimmed and halved (quartered if large)
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
For the soup:
- Place the olive oil into a large stockpot or dutch oven set over medium heat. When hot, add in the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in the carrots, butternut squash and apple. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients begin to soften. Pour in 2 ½ cups of the broth, then raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 13 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and coconut milk.
- Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender (do this in batches if needed) and process until smooth, adding additional broth as needed to get the mixture moving. Return the pureed soup to the stockpot. Add additional broth to get the soup to your desired consistency, if needed. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
For the Brussels sprouts:
- While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Place the Brussels sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup, then sprinkle with the salt and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine and spread in an even layer. Bake for about 17 to 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until tender and browned. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
- To serve, ladle some of the soup into a bowl and top with some of the Brussels sprouts.
Udi says
I love this recipe... out of all the soups I have made, this is one of my wife's favorite. As we all know, the true measure of a dish is the reaction of those precious ones that you lovingly made it for
Nowadays I eyeball the ingredient proportions and sometimes mix it up like adding a lime or garnishing with green onion. All delicious.
What really makes this recipe shine is of course the sweet and spicy maple brussel sprouts. Today we got a a mix of purple and green brussels which look just beautiful on the soup after roasting.
I've been making this soup for over a year now and I just realized no one has left a comment on this recipe yet. I can't believe it! I knew I had to chime in....try it, you won't regret it