The perfect hearty and delicious Tuscan-inspired butternut squash soup recipe with Italian sausage and mushrooms. A delicious dish on a cold winter day!
I’m feeling a little nostalgic today. About nearly nine years ago around this time, I closed a significant chapter in my life. I had just graduated with my Master’s degree at Cal Poly, defended my thesis on my birthday, accepted a job, and moved to Southern California that same weekend. Let me tell you, it was a whirlwind, but it meant putting my big girl pants on, starting my first career, and following my heart (to my then-boyfriend and now hubby) to a new and very different place.
However, I had to do one thing first before taking an enormous leap. I started the next phase by packing my bags and heading on my dream trip to Italy. I adore Italian food and culture, so I decided to go on my first international trip solo. I was a little nervous going alone, but I experienced one of the most exciting and memorable life-changing adventures.
Culinary Adventures in Italy
When I think about all of the sights, smells, and tastes of Italy, I still get goosebumps and cannot wait until I return someday. One of my stops in Italy was in Tuscany, in a small wine and olive region called Foiano Della Chiana. I stayed at a beautiful farmhouse “agriturismo” called Fattoria Santa Vittorira.
Tuscany became my home for a few days, and for the first time learned how to enjoy and live in the moment. As I was reflecting on what seems like just yesterday, I found my travel journal with a butternut squash soup recipe that I couldn’t wait to share it with you!
In Tuscany, the owner of the farm stay, Marta Niccolai, knew the owner and chef of a nearby bed and breakfast called Osteria della Lodola. They offered free cooking classes in exchange for work in their restaurant. I spent two full days learning one-on-one with the most down to earth and a generous chef named Carlo.
His family owned the B&B, but his passion was to run the restaurant. He took me grocery shopping for the restaurant at the local markets and taught me how to select the proper ingredients.
During my time at the restaurant, I learned how to make various fresh pasta, sauces, soups, bread, and desserts. I was in heaven! Not only did I get to help prepare the meal but Carlo allowed me to dine with the other guests who ate at communal tables. Did I mention that dinner started at 9 pm and didn’t end until midnight? Italians know how to live in the moment and take the time to enjoy their meals with their friends and family.
Today I’m sharing one of the most simple and heavenly recipes from my experience called Zuppa di Zucca, or Italian butternut squash soup. The winter vegetables were in full bloom at Carlo’s farm, and squash was in season at the time which helps make the soup even more exquisite! This is the perfect Tuscan soup to try on those colder fall and winter nights.
What I learned when I was cooking in Italy is to use simple fresh and seasonal ingredients, then pair them with the right herbs and aromatics to gently enhance the dish. Less is more in Italy, and the ingredients speak for themselves.
I especially noticed in Toscana the emphasis on farm-fresh local ingredients and working with local purveyors to get the highest quality meats, oils, cheeses and of course the wine!
Whenever I make this soup, I like to make a salad with fresh vine ripe tomatoes and greens with a high-quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. If you have some crusty bread, make some homemade croutons and sprinkle them with salt and fresh ground pepper. Pair with a delicious Tuscan red wine and this meal is oh so soul-satisfying.
As I was looking for this butternut squash recipe in my journal, I stumbled across this passage that I wrote when I was eating breakfast outside of the farm stay in Tuscany:
“Peace, solace, appreciation. I love Toscana. It is the purest, beautiful and inviting place you could ever even imagine. Everything here is delicate and purposeful. It is a perfect and simple life. I’m sitting here eating focaccia, ham, egg and pecorino cheese with a glass of white wine and sweet grapes. It’s lovely.”
I can’t help but smile when I think of the endless rolling hills, the vineyards and the charming towns of Tuscany. I can’t wait to go back someday, and I hope you can experience my favorite place in the world too! Thanks for giving me a chance to share, sometimes it’s so refreshing to create a meal that reminds you of such a fond memory. Cin cin!
How does the butternut squash soup become so creamy?
The Italian butternut squash soup is a pureed soup that relies on the natural starches in the squash for its thickening. The squash is cooked in a flavorful liquid, then pureed until smooth using a food processor, blender or hand-held immersion blender. You should never strain a pureed soup, the ingredients suspended particles help provide the thickened and creamy texture without any added milk or cream.
Italian Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow onion, ¼-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups butternut squash, 1-inch cubes
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper
- 3 cups unsalted chicken stock, or broth
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, ¼-inch slices
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ½ pound fresh Italian sausage, removed from casing, about 2 sausages
- 1 tablespoon chives, sliced for garnish, optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat, then add 1 tablespoon olive oil to thinly coat the surface. Add onions and sauté until translucent, approximately 4 minutes.
- Add butternut squash, rosemary sprigs and ½ teaspoon salt, stir, then cover. Cook over medium-low heat until squash is tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Check every 10 minutes, and stir if needed.
- Remove rosemary and puree ingredients in a blender or with an immersion stick blender until a smooth puree consistency is achieved. Add the puree back into the pot if removed.
- Gradually add the chicken stock or broth to the squash puree, half a cup at a time and stir into the pureed squash. Add enough liquid until the desired consistency is reached, about 2 ½ to 3 cups. Adjust the soup seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
- Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat, then add 1 tablespoon olive oil to thinly coat the surface. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, until fragrant and not browned.
- Add mushrooms and saute, cook until tender about 5 to 6 minutes. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add to the pureed soup.
- In the same pan over medium heat, add the sausage, breaking down into smaller pieces and cook through about 7 to 8 minutes. Add to the pureed soup.
- Reheat the soup if needed, taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve garnished with sliced chives and chopped parsley.
Notes
- To make this soup vegetarian-friendly, substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water. Remove the sausage and add a variety of heartier mushrooms, roasted corn or your other favorite winter vegetables.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Jane says
Quite delicious. Made it vegetarian using bean broth w chix boullion. I browned Impossible sausage and just put it and the garlic mushrooms on top. I mashed it like chunky potatoes while in the pan b4 adding broth.
The cooking technique for the squash was interesting.I would have normally either roasted it or cooked it with the broth. I like this method.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for sharing your experience! I love the modifications you used to make the butternut squash soup vegetarian.
Pat Kelley says
I just made this soup and it is delicious, but I added a dash of red pepper flakes which gave it a little kick!
Jessica Gavin says
I love that you added some heat to the butternut squash soup!
Kerry Schnorf says
This soup was delicious. Definitely going into the rotation.
I added a few handfuls of chopped spinach and a some cheese tortellini.
Aimee says
I LOVE this recipe! It’s so versatile to begin with. I made it exactly as you recommended the first time I made it and it was amazing! The second time my girlfriend said she would like it a little more chunky so I only pureed half of it and added chopped chicken that I had leftover, and used some sage as well, and then added a few dashes if nutmeg…Wow! Every year I seem to have butternut squash volunteering in my compost pile, so I end up with a lot of squash every winter. What a great way to use it! Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
I love how you made the butternut squash soup more chunky in texture and added extra protein!
Bridget says
How does this soup do making it a day ahead?
Jessica Gavin says
It still takes great! I just add more chicken stock to loosen it up a bit when I’m reheating on the stove top.
Lisa says
I really enjoyed this soup! I was looking for something a bit different than a traditional butternut squash soup and this sounded delicious. I used True Story organic sweet Italian chicken sausage (precooked) and added about 4 cups of spinach and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes to give it a bit more kick.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Lisa- I LOVE your spinach and pepper addition to the soup. I’m sure it was lovely!
Kathie says
Made this today and is now my favorite butternut squash soup recipe! So many levels of flavor. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Jessica Gavin says
Yay Kathie! It’s a family favorite too 🙂
Lisa says
Delicious! I had a blue hubbard squash already baked and skinned frozen. I sautéed the onions, added squash and then used stick blender to puree together. I also added spinach to the soup before adding the mushrooms. I think I would maybe sautée the spinach with the mushrooms next time. Wonderful recipe!
Jessica Gavin says
Wow, the addition of the hubbard squash sounds amazing! Spinach sounds yummy too 🙂 Thank you for your lovely comment Lisa!
Melissa Knudsen says
This is kind of funny … here I am Italy (23 years now!) and have never made this recipe. No excuses, needless to say I have all the right, fresh ingredient. I’ll hit the stove with this as soon as I can. 🙂
Jessica Gavin says
I am so jealous that you live in Italy! I would take that over a bowl of soup any day 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think! If you have any recipe requests let me know!
Katie Kruse says
Jessica,
My sister raved about the butternut squash soup so I had to try it! It is as good as she says!!! Made two of your recipes today. Jim loved them both and is in hog heaven! I love how you can change it around?
Jessica Gavin says
yay Katie! Thrilled to hear that your family is cooking together from a distance, how great 🙂 My goal is to keep Jim happy!
Michelle Aragon says
Can’t wait to try this! I have a kabocha squash, do you think that’s an ok substitute? Thanks for sharing your Tuscan story!
Jessica Gavin says
Yes I think it will really delicious with the Kano ha squash Michelle! It will probably taste a little sweeter and even more creamy!
Nikki says
Wow this soup is excellent. Nice job Jessica. Made it vegetarian with veggie broth, roasted corn -and yellow bell pepper. Very savory flavor. Thank you
Jessica Gavin says
Wow that sounds amazing Nikki! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, one of my favs 🙂
Maggie morris says
Jessica,
I was so excited when this soup recipe hit my email this morning. The weather has just turned cold in St. Louis and we have had a very rainy day so this is perfect. I used store bought cubes and they just cooked a bit quicker because they were smaller than an inch. I was worried that a blender would now work well (that’s all I have) but it worked great. I did drain my sausage before adding to the soup. I even made homemade croutons for the soup!
Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
My best,
Maggie (Katie’s sister in stlou)
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Maggie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, one of my favorites 🙂 Hope to see you in CA again soon!
Maria says
Any thoughts on substituting acorn squash for butternut? I love them both, but I have two acorn squashes on my counter that need to be used up!
Jessica Gavin says
I think you good Maria! Perhaps just peel it before. If you think the skin is really thin you can leave it on and cut into cubes. Let me know how it turns out!
Maria says
Made it with acorn squash a few days ago – it was delicious! I halved the recipe and used one medium-sized acorn squash. To prep the squash, I cut it in half and roasted it in the oven with salt, pepper and olive oil, then peeled off the skin, diced it, then followed the rest of the recipe! I would definitely recommend pre-roasting for anyone using acorn squash in this recipe 🙂
Jessica Gavin says
Roasted acorn squash sounds amazing Maria! What a great substitution, I’ll have to try it!
Barbara says
Hi – can’t wait to try this version. I typically buy my squash pre-diced at store. Would you be able to give me a number of cups on “one butternut squash”?
Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Barbara- Great question! I would use between 4 to 5 cups of diced squash. Just adjust the soup consistency with more or less broth as needed. Thanks!
Ms. Shawn Mazon says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!!! So much flavor! I added turkey sausage and sautéed Diced turkey bacon with it……so deliCious!!!!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much for trying the recipe, the turkey sausage and turkey bacon sound like amazing adds!