Squash, Stilton & sage soup

What I’ve done there is create possibly the worst food for me. Not in terms of nutrition or  expenditure, but just because I have a bit of a lisp. And every time I take this into work, I’m forced to reply to queries as to what it is with a whole load of “th”s.

In every other way though, this soup is very, very good.

Squash, Stilton & sage soup | The Littlest BakehouseIt’s no surprise to anyone that I get a bit giddy with food, and that the gourd family is the prime object of my affections. So when I spotted that New Covent Garden’s soup of the month was pumpkin, Stilton, and sage, I snapped it up and greedily snaffled it before they’d even announced it on social media.

And then I wanted more. Due to being A) inquisitive, and B) not made of money, I worked out the ratios from the packet and went on to make the best soup ever. The first time I used part butternut and part harlequin, but the second time was pure butternut and it was every bit as tasty. In fact, I’ve gone on to buy 3 more butternut squashes so I need never run out of them. Yep, I got weird looks at the checkout. Squash panic-buying is totally a thing.

The sweetness of butternut, the savoury touch of sage, and pure cheesiness from the Stilton combine to make a soup that’s truly comforting. A hug from the inside. It also doubles up perfectly as a sauce for pasta.

Additionally, it’s pretty cheap. One batch will cost less than £4* and provides six servings, which really puts the price of supermarket tubs of soup into perspective. If you chop the vegetables smaller, it’ll require less cooking time and therefore less fuel, too. It’s happy to be frozen, so can be made in advance and defrosted when you get out of the rain and need something quick, comforting and delicious. (I recommend these soup and sauce bags from Lakeland, which can stack in the freezer and be washed and reused.)

*Probably far, far less than this – I’m going by estimations and Waitrose prices.

Squash,  Stilton, and sage soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large butternut squash, about 1kg, peeled, deseeded, quartered and sliced (about 3mm thick)
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced, about 3mm thick
4 medium sage leaves, torn into rough strips
1.5l ham stock (or your stock of choice, but ham stock is delicious)
1 tbsp cream cheese (optional)
80g Stilton, cut into chunks
Black pepper
Olive oil

Method

  1. Heat up a little olive oil (about a tbsp) in a large pan, with a lid, over medium heat. When hot, add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until the onions are just turning translucent.
  2. Add the squash, carrot, and sage. Add about a litre of the stock, cover with the lid, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the squash and carrot are soft, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
  3. Transfer to a large bowl or blender, add the cream cheese and Stilton, and blend until smooth (using a blender or an immersion blender). Add the remaining stock a ladle at a time until you get to your preferred thickness, and season to taste. Serve with chunks of bread and lashings of butter!

 

8 thoughts on “Squash, Stilton & sage soup

  1. Hannah Jade says:

    Nor had I before this! I wasn’t sure how cheese would melt into soup or if it’d go gloopy and weird – just blends right in though. If you put about 100g of it in it’s basically just cheese soup…it’s awesome.

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  3. Johanna GGG says:

    I love pumpkin soup (which is what we call it here in Australia) and am always keen for a new flavour pairing – this sounds just lovely esp as we are in the midst of a wet autumn week

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