Chuck Wendig's Butternut Squash Soup

Mmm mmm :) It was hard to wait to eat it even to take this picture!

Hi goobers!

Trevor and I tried another of Chuck Wendig's recipes. He has a blog called TerribleMinds and occasionally fills the world in on these earth shattering recipes he makes up.

We've made his pork butt, and his pasta, which I've named Autumn Pasta, and you can check out that recipe here.

Anywho, I like to share with all you, my friends, the clean versions of these recipes, although, I kinda do still recommend you read through Chuck's because he's just hilarious. My version actually has measurements though. So there's always that.

We LOVED this soup; both of us. And that's pretty amazing since Trevor doesn't really do soup. But leave it to Chuck to convince Trevor to eat squash when I've been trying for 5 years.

I'm not bitter though.

This was a smooth, creamy, warm, chunky, and perfectly spicy soup. One of the things I love about all of Chuck's recipes is that most of the ingredients and amounts are up to you. If you don't like something, don't include it; if you don't have something, don't use it; if you want more carrot, use more carrot. So feel free to adjust these measurements to your own taste.

Try it, and enjoy!

You need (lots o' stuff):

1 butternut squash
1 medium onion
olive oil (approx 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
ground pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
herbs de provence OR 1-2 teaspoons of other herbs like: italian seasoning, sage, rosemary, parsley
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup water, optional
2 cups chicken broth (plus another cup if you like it thinner)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus another cup if you like it creamier)
1 pound ground country sausage
1 leek
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Start by peeling the squash with a vegetable peeler. Cut it in half and scoop out the seedy parts. 
3. Dice the squash into 1/2 inch pieces and layer onto a baking sheet or roasting pan lined with foil.
4. Largely chop the onion and combine with the squash on the pan.
5. Coat the squash and onion with olive oil; make sure it's all covered.
6. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and spices. Mix to coat. 
7. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour, or until the vegetables start to caramelize. 
8. While your squash is baking, you can start the other ingredients: The stock, sausage, and leeks.
9. Peel and dice the carrots and celery, and begin cooking with minced garlic and oil over medium heat in a large pot. Saute for 10-15 minutes while they get softer, adding water as needed.
10. Fry the ground sausage in a skillet and set aside.
11. Wash and slice the leek into rings. "Melt" the leeks in butter over medium heat in a skillet with red wine vinegar. Cook for approximately 5-10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
12. When the squash is baked, combine it with the carrot and celery in the pot. Add broth and apple cider vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes.
13. Blend the contents of the pot. Chuck recommends using a blender, but I don't have one, so I used an immersion blender. Blend it until it is as smooth as you like. 
14. Return to medium heat and add cream. This is where you add more broth or cream until the soup is the consistency you like. 
15. Add the sausage to the soup, and make sure it's all warm.
16. Serve with leeks.

Trevor thinks he might like it better without the sausage--the whole dish is VERY flavorful. But I personally think the sausage makes the soup. We will probably be doing variations with shredded chicken or mushrooms. Mmm, can you imagine halved mushrooms in this??

Let me know what you think! 

Go here to read Chuck's full recipe for "Butternut Squash that will kick you in the butternuts."