Recipe: creamy Butternut Squash Bisque with roasted pepitas, homemade croutons, crispy sage and a maple cream

Hi, hello, and welcome to my favorite freakin season of the whole damn year.

What’s that you say? It’s only the first week of September and not technically fall? GTFO. Bye. Cya. 

Don’t you DARE stomp on my pumpkin-eating, candle-sniffing, sweater-wearing lifestyle. It starts Sept. 1, and that. is. that. Periodddd.

So obviously, I’m already incorporating fall flavors all over the damn place. And trust me when I say, this lil recipe is gonna make all your fall dreams come true. We’re talking creamy, buttery, nutty, crunchy with a hint of sweetness and a speck of spice. 

You could easily serve this as an entire meal, but I think it would also go great as an appetizer. It would be the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving dinner, too!

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE 

We are going to serve this bad boy with some crunchy homemade croutons, crispy sage, roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and a dope maple cream sauce.

I HIGHLY recommend that you do not skip any of the toppings. The bisque itself is good, but, all of the toppings really bring it to the next level and elevates all the flavor.

Ingredients:

For the bisque: 

-1 tbsp. butter

-1 yellow onion, diced

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-2 (1 lb. each) bags of frozen, cubed butternut squash 

-1/4 cup bourbon

-32 oz. Kettle and Fire Turmeric Ginger Chicken Bone Broth

-1 3/4 cup heavy cream

-1/2 tsp. nutmeg

-1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

-salt and pepper to taste (for reference, I added 2 tbsp. salt and only garnished with pepper)

For the roasted pepitas:

-handful of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

-1 tbsp. olive oil

-salt and pepper to taste 

For the crispy sage:

-1 tbsp. butter

-5-6 fresh sage leaves

For the maple cream:

-1 cup heavy cream

-1/4 cup maple syrup 

For the croutons:

-2 slices sourdough bread, cut into small cubes 

-1 tbsp. olive oil

-1/4 tsp. garlic powder 

-salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

Step 1: set your bags of frozen butternut squash out on the counter, allowing it to slowly thaw while you move on to the next steps.

Step 2: in a large stock pot, heat butter over a low flame. Once melted, add onions and cook for 20-25 minutes, allowing them to caramelize.

Step 3: add garlic to pot and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Step 4: add the butternut squash to the pot and cover. Your squash is probably still frozen FYI – that’s totally OK. Cook for 15 minutes. 

Step 4: add bourbon to the pot, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot from the onions and garlic. Cook until liquid nearly evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Step 5: add the bone broth to the pot and continue to cook on low heat until squash is very soft, about 20 minutes.

Step 6: preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Step 7: roast pepitas and make croutons (we’ll cook them together, on the same baking sheet).

Toss a handful of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Arrange on one side of a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden, about 13 minutes.

Toss cubed sourdough in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 

Arrange on the other side of the baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden and toasty, also about 13 minutes. 

Step 8: once timer goes off for simmering bisque, pour in the heavy cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir well and continue to cook until simmering once again, about 4-5 minutes.

Step 9: remove pot from burner.

Step 10: purée the bisque.

Using a blender WITHOUT THE COVER FULLY AFFIXED ON TOP, or, open the vent on the cover (if you pour hot stuff into the blender and cover it, you gon’ have an explosive mess from the pressure) pulse the bisque until completely puréed and creamy.

Don’t have a blender you love? We have this one and highly recommend it.

Step 11: pour the bisque back into the stock pot, cover and set aside (if you’re worried about the soup turning cold, turn the burner on extra low). 

Pro tip: if your bisque is looking a little thin, simply bring it to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes until it reaches your preferred thickness. You can still keep the burner on extra low afterwards, if you want to keep it warm while prepping your other ingredients.

Step 12: fry the sage. 

Add butter to a small frying pan over medium heat. Once melted, add sage leaves, ensuring they lay flat in the butter. Cook until edges begin to turn dark green and leaves are fully saturated with butter, about 1-2 minutes per side.

Use a fork to gently lift leaves out of the butter, one by one. Place on a plate in a single layer and set aside (if you leave the leaves in the pan, they will continue to cook and get too crispy).

Don’t have a set of frying pans that you love? We have these nonstick ones (that contain no toxic chemicals, like traditional nonstick pans) and highly recommend them.

Step 13: prepare the maple cream.

Using an electric mixer (or a whisk by hand), whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Pour in maple syrup and gently fold into cream. 

Don’t have an electric mixer? We have this handheld one and highly recommend it.

Side note: if you have leftover maple cream, save it in the fridge and use as a pancake or waffle topping tomorrow. 

Step 14: plate it! 

At first, the maple cream will sit atop the bisque like a scoop of ice cream. But it will quickly begin to melt into the bisque, adding swirls that are extra creamy and slightly sweet. 

The crunch of the homemade croutons pairs perfectly with how smooth and rich the bisque is, and the pepitas add a hint of nutty, salty flavor. 

And the sage just ties it all in together! 

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Hey kids! Just a heads up that this post may contain affiliate links to products I love and use. If you take action after clicking one of these links (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase, etc.) I’ll earn a bit of a commission, which helps me keep this blog up and running – so you can keep finding dope recipes and helpful information! Thanks in advance for supporting The Northeast Ginger – xoxo Gossip Girl