Creamy Sage and Cheddar Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is one of the best vegetables autumn has to offer. Roasted with warm spices like cinnamon, paprika, red chili flakes and sage, it becomes especially good. It’s all creamed with sharp cheddar and sour cream, making this soup is perfect for cold nights. Topped with fresh sage and crispy bacon.

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 1 hour

servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 medium sized butternut squashes - peeled and cubed (should be about 10 cups)
5 cloves garlic - smashed
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of red chili pepper flakes
2 tbsp freshly chopped sage
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sour cream
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese - grated
bacon, (about 8 strips) for topping
fresh sage, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
After you have peeled and cubed the butternut squash, mix it with the smashed garlic cloves, olive oil, honey, paprika, cinnamon, red chili pepper flakes, sage, salt and pepper. Put it all in an oven safe baking dish and place in the oven for 40 minutes, until the squash is tender. When there are 20 minutes left, mix the vegetables once more and continue cooking.
Once done cooking, take the squash and purée with the chicken broth in a food processor or blender until the texture is smooth.
Transfer the mixture into a pot on the stove and turn the temperature to medium. Add in your milk and stir until your soup is starts to boil.
Slowly mix in the cheese and sour cream and lower temperature to a simmer. If the soup is still too thick, you can add a little more milk or chicken broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
While this is going on, start cooking your bacon until crispy. Save 2 tbsp of the bacon grease and stir this into the soup mixture. I also cooked a few sage leaves until they were crispy in the bottom of this pan.
Pour the soup into bowls and top with the bacon and sage. You may add extra cream if wanted. Eat and enjoy!