Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
A deceptively simple autumn meal worthy of a special occasion
Sage, cayenne, and nutmeg make this soul-warming butternut squash a new classic. But the stars of the show are the crunchy, cheesy, bacony grilled cheese sourdough croutons. Cachalot, a standout cheddar-like cheese from Connecticut’s Mystic Cheese Co., gives this dish a rich complexity, as does River Bear’s uncured thick-cut Berkshire pork belly. Pair with a Cava or crisp white wine to cut through that delicious richness.
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
A deceptively simple autumn meal worthy of a special occasion - Prep Time : 25 min.
- Cook Time : 40 min.
- Total Time : 1 hr. 5 min.
- Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- For the Croutons:
- 4 slices Sourdough bread
- 4 strips River Bear Uncured Bacon
- 1/2 lb. Mystic Cheese Co. Cachalot, grated or sliced
- 1/4 cup Sir Kensington's Classic Mayo
- 2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
- For the Soup:
- 1 1/2 cups Vegetable or Chicken stock
- 3 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
- 5 Garlic cloves
- 3 Ribs celery
- 3 Carrots
- 1 Large butternut squash
- 1 Large white onion
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 3-5 fresh sage leaves
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Fresh black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Cayenne
- 1/4 cup. Crown Maple Syrup
- 1 cup. Victor’s Labne
- 1 bunch Fresh parsley
Directions
- Heat a large stock pot over medium and add the unsalted butter. Melt the butter until it begins to bubble and lower the flame.
- Cube the butternut squash, roughly chop the celery and carrots and quarter the onion. Peel and chop the garlic and toss all veggies into the stock pot over a medium low flame.
- Cook the veggies, tossing occasionally, and add the sage leaves, cayenne and nutmeg. Increase the heat to medium high and toss the mixture for a minute or two to open the herbs before adding the vegetable stock and maple syrup.
- Cook over medium high until the mixture begins to bubble. Cover and reduce the heat, simmering for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the sage and bay leaves and add 1/2 cup of labne.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until silky smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Keep the soup hot over a low flame while you prepare the grilled cheese croutons.
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove to a towel-lined plate.
- Slather the slices of bread liberally with mayonnaise. Heat a large skillet over medium and add the butter. Place two of the slices, mayo side-down, into the hot pan and place the sliced Cachelot over top.
- Place the slices of bacon atop and cover with the two additional slices of bread to complete the sandwich, this time, mayo side-up. Cover the pan with a lid and griddle for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt and the underside of the bread is golden-brown in color.
- Flip the sandwiches and griddle until the other side is a deep golden brown. Remove to a wire wrack and slice into crouton-sized cubes.
- Ladle portions of the soup into bowls and top with the grilled cheese croutons, a dollop of labne, fresh parsley and extra fresh cracked pepper.
