Roasted squash soup with chestnuts
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Mike English
Roasted squash soup with chestnuts
Velvety smooth, this luxurious soup combines classic winter flavours of smoky bacon and seasonal chestnuts with sweet and earthy butternut squash. Add less crème fraiche for a lighter version
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
563Kcal
Fat
41gr
Saturates
22gr
Carbs
31gr
Sugars
15gr
Fibre
7gr
Protein
13gr
Salt
0.8gr
Monica Galetti
Masterchef judge Monica Galetti opened her restaurant, Mere, with sommelier husband David in 2017. The couple live in London with their daughter.
See more of Monica Galetti’s recipes
Monica Galetti
Masterchef judge Monica Galetti opened her restaurant, Mere, with sommelier husband David in 2017. The couple live in London with their daughter.
See more of Monica Galetti’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 kabocha or butternut squash, about 950g
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- about 1.2-litre chicken stock - use gluten-free stock if required
- 1 x 250ml tub Taste the Difference full-fat crème fraîche
To finish
- 25g unsalted butter
- 30g smoked bacon lardons, diced
- 150g cooked peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp snipped chives
Step by step
Get ahead
The soup can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen
- Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Peel, halve and deseed the squash, then cut into small chunks and place in a roasting tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season. Roast in the oven for about 35 minutes or until soft and caramelised.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and sweat gently over a low heat for 7-8 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
- Set aside about 12 chunks of the roasted squash for the garnish. Add the rest to the pan, pour in enough of the stock to cover, about 800-900ml, and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Blitz the soup until smooth then pour back into the pan. Whisk in the crème fraîche, season to taste and add enough of the remaining stock to give the desired consistency.
- When ready to serve, melt the butter in a frying pan until foaming. Add the bacon and chestnuts and cook until the bacon is lightly coloured. Dice the reserved squash into small pieces, and mix with the bacon and chestnuts. Divide the hot soup between 4 bowls and garnish each with the squash mixture. Sprinkle with the snipped chives.
