Might it be the longest recipe title ever? Possibly. But this FODMAP friendly root veg and butternut squash soup with crispy sage and brown butter walnuts is worth the time it takes to say every word! Think lots of cheap and cheerful veg totally elevated by a few simple and delicious finishing touches (I could eat crispy sage leaves on everything).
It’s Halloween today! And although I won’t be dressing up or doing anything spooky this year I do love the excuse to be surrounded by pumpkins (which would also be delicious in this soup and a great way to use up leftover pumpkin flesh from all that carving), warm things – I’m thinking blankets and lattes – family and friends. Down our road kids have decorated pumpkins and put them on the doorstep, ghoolish cobwebs have gone up in windows and there’s a chill in the air. It’s getting me excited about bonfire night, winter walks and dare I whisper it *Christmas*…
This soup is something I love to eat at this time of year. Warming, nourishing and just delicious, I’ll make a big batch and freeze half in individual portions so I can just grab one out of the freezer when I need it. The toppings are best made fresh.
Recipe notes:
The reason I’ve called for just 360g of butternut squash here is because it’s low FODMAP up to 45g per portion. If you don’t have a problem with it by all means adjust the ratios to suit
I’ve kept the soup ingredients pretty simple as the toppings add lots of flavour, but if you wanted to add in some spices, please do!
If you’re on the maintenance phase of the FODMAP diet/are not on the diet and can tolerate a small (or indeed large) amount of garlic and onion, add them to the saucepan when you do so the ginger
Parmesan is also delicious on top. Because when is it not?
Ingredients
For the soup:
1kg FODMAP friendly root veg, such as carrots, parsnips, swede, chopped into medium chunks
360g peeled and deseeded butternut squash, cut into chunks
3 tbsp/a good glug olive oil or garlic infused oil
Thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
Small pinch chilli flakes (optional)
1.5 litres FODMAP-friendly vegetable stock or hot water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping:
1 tablespoon olive oil
Medium bunch of sage leaves
100g unsalted butter
150g walnut halves, broken into small piece
Lactose free yogurt and black pepper to serve
Method
Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Lightly oil a couple of large baking trays or roasting dishes and tumble on the chopped butternut squash, carrots and parsnips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated, making sure everything ends up in a single layer. Roast the veg in the oven for 40–45 minutes, or until tender and the edges golden brown.
Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and fry the ginger in the oil for about a minute, adding the chilli flakes if using towards the end. Pour in your stock and bring to the boil, then stir in the roasted vegetables and season once more. Remove the saucepan from the heat and (carefully as it will be hot), use a hand blender to blitz everything until smooth.
For the toppings, heat a small pan and toast the walnuts just for a few minutes, until golden and smelling delicious. Pour into a small bowl and put to one side. Add the olive oil to the pan and then the sage leaves. Fry the sage for a couple of minutes, adding the butter towards the end. Remove the sage leaves from the pan and place on a piece of kitchen towel on a plate. It’s here that they’ll do their final crisping up.
Add the walnuts back into the pan with the butter and cook another couple of minutes – you’re looking for brown specs and wonderfully nutty aroma. Once browned, pour the walnuts and butter into a small bowl to stop the butter from cooking. Serve bowls of warm soup topped with a dollop of yogurt, a twist of black pepper, a sprinkle of crispy sage leaves and a spoonful (or two) of brown butter walnuts, drizzling over any remaining butter. Crusty bread is good too.
Photographs by Emma Croman
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