This post was originally published here on October 1, 2014. I’ve since updated the photographs and text to better showcase just how delicious this Fall favorite really is!
This delightfully orange soup doesn’t have a single drop of pumpkin in it. And that’s totally fine by me.
I know pumpkin-mania is in full swing right now. But I’ve always been a butternut squash kind of girl. It’s my favorite Fall/Winter vegetable. And I’d choose it any day over pumpkin, even preferring squash pie over pumpkin pie.
My preference for butternut squash goes way back. In fact, you might even say it’s deeply rooted and steeped in family tradition. As my grandfather’s favorite crop to grow on our farm (we even named his Cadillac the “butternut mobile” because he used to drive around with so much butternut squash in the back seats!), butternut squash was a staple in my house growing up. We hardly even gave pumpkin a passing glance.
So FYI – you can expect to see more recipes here using butternut squash than pumpkin. I hope you’re cool with that.
This Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Fried Sage and Halloumi is one of those blissfully uncomplicated dishes that you’ll find yourself repeating over and over again. Just toss all the ingredients for the soup base into a big pot and let it rip. Easy peasy.
The apple provides an additional level of sweetness that pairs exceptionally well with the butternut squash. I just love adding apples to all kinds of dishes this time of year. Both butternut squash and apples can so easily transition between savory and sweet dishes. The possibilities are kind of endless.
I have a rule about puréed soups: they should never be naked. So I fried up some sage leaves (aren’t they the prettiest!?!?) and cubed Halloumi cheese to be used as toppings. Halloumi is a fabulous salty, mild cheese that can withstand the heat (it’s perfect for grilling, too!), and if you haven’t tried it yet, you should change that ASAP.
If you try out this recipe for Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Fried Sage and Halloumi, let me know! And what other soups are you craving this time of year? I typically make at least one big pot of soup each week, and I’d love to hear about some of your favorites!
Cheers,
Liz
Recipe adapted from Foodess.Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Fried Sage and Halloumi
Ingredients
For the Soup:
For the Toppings:
Instructions
Notes
YUM! Love the fried Halloumi and sage on top! I’m totally down for any and all recipes in the shade of orange.
It’s all about the toppings, right? Bring on the orange!
Love everything about this soup and I love orange 🙂 And the holiday’s aren’t too far off for us Canadians. Thanksgiving is two weeks away. Yikes!!
Oh I always forget that your Thanksgiving is so much earlier than ours. Can’t wait to see what you have planned to cook and bake!
Orange is definitely the perfect color for October! What a creative soup, Liz! I absolutely love the squash and apples in here. Sounds like the perfect combo!
Thanks, Gayle. I’m so happy it’s soup time!
You said it! Creamy soups are so perfect for dipping and topping. I absolutely love creamy squash soups and the addition of apple sounds amazing! PLUS, canyoubelieve I’ve never had fried sage?! I need to try this stat!
Yes, you need to fry up some sage right away. It’s so good on soup, pasta and sandwiches!
LOve the pics Liz! Absolutely gorgeous! I’ve never had squash soup believe it or not but it’s going on my “try” list soon 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful compliment, Katya! Definitely try making squash soup. It’s so good! You’ll love it!
Bring on all of the orange! I love that you use Halloumi cheese too. It is totally under appreciated!
Halloumi is totally under appreciated. I’m spreading the word about how good it is!
Hurray for the orange foods of fall! This soup looks soooo delicious! I tried and LOVED fried sage last fall and am totally loving the idea of fried cheese 🙂 I’ve never had hallomi before, but it sounds fantastic. Where do you usually get it? Does the whole foods cheese counter carry it or do you go to a more specialty cheese shop? I’m going to be on the lookout for it now 🙂
Hi Karen, you can definitely get Halloumi at Whole Foods (that’s where I get mine). Let me know how you like it!
Halloumi sounds like a perfect topping. Or goat cheese. Or parm. Or any cheese, really. WANT.
Yes! Bring on all the cheeses!!
I feel like I’ve got an overabundance of orange on the blog lately too, and I picked up a bunch more squash the other day! I love the color, so bring it on, Liz! This soup sounds so amazing, and I have yet to try halloumi. Gotta get my hands on some quick! 🙂
I guess it’s just the season for orange. Halloumi is so great. I think you’ll really like it!
Mmmmm… I LOVE butternut squash! This soup sounds divine, especially the toppings! I have never tried fried sage leaves, but I like pretty much everything else fried so… 😉 Awesome recipe!
Yes, frying is always a good option! Fried sage leaves only take a minute, so you should definitely try them out. They are good on salads too or tucked into a turkey sandwich!
I just made a soup like this! it was sweet potato with crispy sage.
Beautiful job, I love the apples.
Thanks, Jackie! Crispy sage goes so well with apples and squash!
What a beautiful soup! Apple and squash are perfect fall flavors. That cheese and cream topping make the soup over the top! Looking forward to trying this!
Thank you! It’s almost too pretty to eat….almost :-).
I definitely love orange as a color!! So this soup is perfect. Love all the fall flavors 😉
Thanks, Zainab! Me too!
Awesome! We have a lot of sage in our garden, and now we know just what to do with it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
That’s great to hear! Let me know how you like it!
Ooh I love the idea of having halloumi “croutons” on soup!
Yes, cheese croutons trump bread croutons!
Blissfully uncomplicated is right up my alley! This soup looks so good . . and the flavors you have going on here?!! Oh my goodness, looks so good and can’t wait to try! Pinned!!
Thanks so much Alice! I hope you enjoy it!
I made this soup tonight and it was so good! I love all the orange dishes you are creating but I have to confess that halloumi is what drew me to this soup. I searched high and low- literally visited five stores and called the rest in my area- and everyone seems to be out of halloumi right now! I’ve stocked up on it in the past and I guess that’s what I’ll do in the future and once I get my hands on some I will make your soup again.
If anyone else finds themselves in this position, shaved parmesan is a great alternative.
Hi Emily! Glad you liked the soup. Sorry you couldn’t find halloumi. I guess it is really popular right now, so that’s why all the stores were out. It must be having it’s time in the sun! Glad the shaved Parmesan worked!
This is picture perfect!!
Thanks, Gaby!
And such a gorgeous update, Liz! I can’t say that I have a favorite… pumpkin over butternut, but I did just discover kabocha last year and am head over heels! Looove this combination of delicious fall ingredients.. especially the apple with butternut squash. As far as halloumi… it’s SO hard to find around here, so I generally sub with ‘bread cheese.’ Have you heard of it? Delicious work, Liz! xo
Never heard of bread cheese. I’ll have to look for that. Halloumi is hard for me to find sometimes, too. But when I do, I stock up! Lol.
I’m salivating here and can almost taste that sage!!
I love sage so much this time of year!
This is such a pretty soup!! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks, Lexi!
The halloumi topping sounds incredible. Delish!
I’m all about the soup toppings!
Soup goals!
Yay yay!
your family had a crop? That’s amazing!! I would have eating all the butternut squash and turned yellow! haha! Worth it.
Yup, we have a farm and wholesale produce distribution center in NH!
This is so beautiful!!! Butternut squash is my favorite fall food and this soup is gorgeous!
My favorite Fall veggie, too! 🙂
I love butternut squash Liz, so this soup will be happening soon in my kitchen. And those fried sage leaves and halloumi are the perfect toppings!
I’m all about the fun toppings!