Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 600 g butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 400 g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 30 ml olive oil
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper
Soup Base
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 150 g yellow onion, diced
- 15 g garlic, minced
- 900 ml vegetable broth, warm
- 2 g fresh thyme, leaves picked
Blue Cheese Crema
- 80 g blue cheese, crumbled
- 120 g creme fraiche
- 15 ml whole milk
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 442 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 47 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 12 g
- Sodium
- 1472 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 12 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 10 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 49 mg
- Potassium
- 1085 mg
- Calcium
- 271 mg
- Iron
- 2.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 93 mg
- Phosphorus
- 226 mg
- Zinc
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 1670 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 40 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 10 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.32 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.27 mg
- Niacin
- 2.9 mg
- Folate
- 68 mcg
- Water
- 498 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the cubed butternut squash and sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt and black pepper, and toss until evenly coated.
Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once halfway through, until they are fork-tender and slightly caramelized at the edges.
While the vegetables finish roasting, melt the unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced yellow onion and saute for 5 to 7 minutes until completely softened and translucent.
Stir the minced garlic and fresh thyme leaves into the onions. Cook for 1 minute until highly fragrant.
Transfer the hot, roasted squash and sweet potatoes into the large pot. Pour in the warm vegetable broth and stir to combine all ingredients.
Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and let it simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
While the soup simmers, prepare the crema. In a small mixing bowl, aggressively whisk together the crumbled blue cheese and creme fraiche until mostly smooth. If the mixture is too stiff, whisk in the whole milk a few drops at a time.
Remove the soup pot from the heat. Working in batches, carefully transfer the hot liquid to a blender and puree until completely velvety. Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pot. If using a standard blender, remove the center cap to vent steam and hold a towel over the opening.
Ladle the hot soup into warmed serving bowls. Garnish each portion with a generous dollop or swirl of the blue cheese crema.
Chef's Notes
- Roasting the squash and sweet potatoes instead of boiling them in the broth evaporates excess water and concentrates their natural sugars, providing a much deeper, richer flavor profile.
- For the smoothest possible texture, ensure your blender is properly venting steam if blending hot soup. The buildup of hot air can cause the lid to blow off.
- The sharpness of the blue cheese is vital here. It cuts through the complex carbohydrates and natural sugars of the root vegetables, preventing the soup from tasting too cloying or dessert-like.
- If you want an added textural element, consider topping the soup with toasted pumpkin seeds or crispy fried sage leaves just before serving.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store the blue cheese crema in a separate airtight container from the soup.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze the soup base only. The dairy-based crema will split if frozen and thawed.
Reheating: Reheat soup gently on the stove over medium-low heat until it reaches 74C/165F. Top with chilled crema just before eating.
Troubleshooting
The soup is too thick after pureeing.
Cause: The starch content of the sweet potatoes absorbed more liquid than anticipated.
Fix: Whisk in additional warm vegetable broth or hot water 50ml at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Prevention: Ensure accurate weighing of the root vegetables rather than relying on visual sizes.
The blue cheese crema is overwhelming the soup.
Cause: A highly pungent blue cheese was used in too large a quantity.
Fix: Stir additional creme fraiche or sour cream into the crema to dilute the sharp blue cheese flavor.
Prevention: Choose a milder blue cheese like Gorgonzola Dolce if serving sensitive palates.
Cultural Context
The pairing of sweet winter squashes and pungent blue cheese is a revered flavor profile in contemporary Western culinary traditions. The sharp, salty bite of the blue mold cuts perfectly through the rich, complex carbohydrates of the roasted root vegetables, balancing out what could otherwise be a one-dimensional, overly sweet dish.
