This delicious and comforting soup is the marriage of seasonal fall produce, savory herbs and meat and gut healing bone broth.
The unusual combination of sweet apple, butternut squash, bacon and sage satisfies cravings for sweet and salty. The ingredients are so flavorful it doesn’t need any spices other than salt.
The apple does not make it too sweet, as the squash already has plenty of inherent sweetness, which is balance perfectly by the bacon, broth and sage.
I topped my soup with cilantro for added freshness. Cilantro is my favorite herb but if it’s not your thing just skip it and garnish with more fresh sage.
Sage has become another favorite herb recently. I tasted it for the first time a few weeks ago and now I can’t get enough. Sage is a very powerful herb. It’s traditionally burned to clear energy in spaces but also has an indescribably distinctively and delicious taste. And it’s in season right now, along with apple and squash. These three foods were born to go together.
The abundance of butternut squash
I roasted a gigantic butternut squash to make this soup and there was enough flesh leftover to make this smoky butternut hummus by Zenbelly, which I also garnished with sage, olive oil and more smoky paprika.
I used the rest of the butternut pulp to make dairy-free butternut ice cream. That recipe was inspired by the Real Life Paleo cookbook and is coming soon to the blog.
I was able to make 3 dishes from one squash, talk about stretching my grocery budget. If you eat lots of veggies, Paleo isn’t as expensive as everyone thinks it is.
I’m serving this soup as a starter for my Thanksgiving meal, but have been using the test run to satisfy my cravings for carbs and comfort.
This soup is also thick and hearty enough to serve as whole meal, just add sausage for extra protein. I used lamb sausage in mine.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of chopped sage
1/2 apple, diced
2 cups of butternut squash puree
2 rashers of bacon, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons of onion, diced
1 cup of bone broth
1 teaspoon of salt (divided in half)
2 garlic cloves, diced
optional: 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chopped habanero pepper to taste
optional: 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
optional: 1 lamb sausage, cut into piece
1 tablespoon of fat of choice (I used butter but you can use coconut oil, ghee, lard, etc..)
How to
Roast butternut squash in the oven at 400 for about 40 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the squash. You will know it’s done when you can easily pierce it through the middle with knife.
Let squash cool. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Scoop out the flesh with a large spoon and put it into a bowl. Mash the squash with a fork or potato masher.
Saute onions and bacon in fat of choice on medium heat until the onions become fragrant and start to turn translucent. Salt the onions as they are cooking with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
If using raw lamb (or other type of) sausage, then cut into pieces and throw in the pan to brown for a few minutes.
Add chopped garlic and saute for one minute.
Throw in the butternut squash flesh and mix to coat with fat, bacon, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with cayenne or throw in chopped habanero if using.
Pour in the chicken broth and throw in the diced apple.
Mix the broth and squash together with a large spoon or spatula until well combines. Then throw in the chopped sage and add last half teaspoon of salt.
If you like your soup to be of a thinner consistency add more water or chicken broth until you reach your desired consistency. If you like your soup very thick and hardy then let simmer uncovered until the broth evaporates enough to reach the desired thickness.
Mix the soup as it is cooking. I find that soup cooks best on medium heat.
Taste the soup to see if it needs more salt. Ladle into bowls and serve with a garnish of chopped cilantro or more freshly chopped sage.
- 1 tablespoon of chopped sage
- ½ apple, diced
- 2 cups of butternut squash puree
- 2 rashers of bacon, cut into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons of onion, diced
- 1 cup of bone broth
- 1 teaspoon of salt (divided in half)
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- optional: ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chopped habanero pepper to taste
- optional: 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
- optional: 1 lamb sausage, cut into piece
- 1 tablespoon of fat of choice (I used butter but you can use coconut oil, ghee, lard, etc..)
- Roast butternut squash in the oven at 400 for about 40 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the squash. You will know it's done when you can easily pierce it through the middle with knife.
- Let squash cool. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Scoop out the flesh with a large spoon and put it into a bowl. Mash the squash with a fork or potato masher.
- Saute onions and bacon in fat of choice on medium heat until the onions become fragrant and start to turn translucent. Salt the onions as they are cooking with ½ teaspoon of salt.
- If using raw lamb (or other type of) sausage, then cut into pieces and throw in the pan to brown for a few minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and saute for one minute.
- Throw in the butternut squash flesh and mix to coat with fat, bacon, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with cayenne or throw in chopped habanero if using.
- Pour in the chicken broth and throw in the diced apple.
- Mix the broth and squash together with a large spoon or spatula until well combines. Then throw in the chopped sage and add last half teaspoon of salt.
- If you like your soup to be of a thinner consistency add more water or chicken broth until you reach your desired consistency. If you like your soup very thick and hardy then let simmer uncovered until the broth evaporates enough to reach the desired thickness.
- Mix the soup as it is cooking. I find that soup cooks best on medium heat.
- Taste the soup to see if it needs more salt. Ladle into bowls and serve with a garnish of chopped cilantro or more freshly chopped sage.
