Brown Butter Sage & Squash Soup
I love this soup! It’s so easy and simple, but tastes like something you could order at a restaurant.
It calls for butternut squash but you can use almost any squash you have. Pumpkin is delicious; kuri or kobucha squash would be great! Or if you can find an 898, honeynut or koginut squash at a farmer’s market I highly recommend one of those!
Soup is a great way to use bone broth too! Bone broth is a little different than your typical chicken stock because it uses bones that have been simmered for a long period of time (usually 24+ hours) to extract nutrients and most importantly, collagen.
Bone broth contains numerous minerals and is a great source of easily digested protein. Depending upon the type of bones and the cooking method used the level of nutrients can vary, however the following are what we love most about bone broth.
Collagen – makes up approximately 30% of the protein in the body. It is primarily responsible for building connective tissue in the body such as skin, bone, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels.
Gelatin – is the breakdown of long collagen chains into smaller protein peptides. It is very similar to collagen and also supports connective tissues, as well as the tissues that make up the intestinal lining.
Glycine – is an amino acid that makes up 1/3 of the collagen peptide. Glycine also acts as a neurotransmitter and binds to receptors in peripheral tissues and in the nervous system.
Glutamine – is the most profuse amino acid in the blood and is one of the only amino acids that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Glutamine is also very supportive to the structure of intestinal cells as well as provide energy for immune cells.
Together these proteins are rare in the standard American diet as they are mostly found in the connective tissues and bones of meat. But they are so supportive to our health and healing, and are an important food to incorporate into your daily routine.
So swap bone broth for any recipe that calls for stock and get a boost those important aminos acids!
Brown Butter Sage & Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ghee or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 butternut squash or pumpkin 2-3 lbs
- 1 large fennel chopped
- 1 leek chopped
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 32 oz chicken bone broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 12-16 fresh sage leaves
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Cut squash in half, discard seeds and roast at 425º for 30 - 40 minutes until caramelized - deep golden.
- Once the squash is cooked, discard the stems and put both halves in a high powered blender with the skin skin.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, add ghee, fennel, celery, salt and cook until golden, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add leeks and cook for approximately 5 more minutes, stirring frequently until they’re translucent.
- Once cooked, scoop the cooked vegetables into a high speed blender.
- Add 8 oz (1 cup) of broth to the empty pot, turn off the heat and scrape any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Pour the broth with any brown bits into the blender with the squash, vegetables, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Blend until silky smooth.
- While the soup is blending make sure the bottom of the pot is clean. Wipe out the pot of any browned bits or else they’ll burn in this next step.
- To the clean pot, over medium-low heat, add the butter and cook until it starts to bubble and slightly brown, about 5-6 minutes. When the butter is foamy add the sage and fry it for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the sage and place it on a paper towel to absorb any extra butter. You want it to be crispy, not soggy. It happens quickly.
- Turn the stove off, then pour the pureed soup into the browned butter. Be careful, it may splatter if the butter is too hot.
- Add the rest of the broth and bring the soup back to a simmer on low heat.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with crispy sage, black pepper and pumpkin seeds.
