Chorizo Squash Soup
Soup season is here and what a way to ring it in with this chorizo squash soup!!! Creamy and silky pureed squash is the base of this hearty soup that has lots of fall herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. I am all about honey mustard lately, so I also spiked this soup with lots of honey and mustard towards the end of cooking. I think it gives it a unique and really tasty twist! The chewy charred cheese and chorizo on top add a much needed texture to the creamy blended soup
How I came up with this recipe
Recently I shot a video where I grilled a skewer with these ingredients and thought they would taste nice in a soup as well. So here is the chorizo squash soup I made! I cooked the chorizo first so the oil would flavor the entire soup, then didn’t add it back until it was in the bowl so it would be nice and crispy!
I also topped it with a piece of grilled cheese. It is kind of funny to me since “grilled cheese” is a common thing to serve with soup, even though this version is a bit different. Using queso freir instead of the more common halloumi I feel holds together a little better on the grill. I also use it because they have it at my grocery store.
Making the soup base
Start by sautéing the chorizo to get all the fatty goodness into the pot. Take out the sausage and then add in the onions, jalapeno, cabbage, and mushrooms right into the tasty chorizo oil! The veggies soak up all that amazing flavor that will make your chorizo squash soup amazing.
Then you add in some wine, squash, and veggie stock and cook until the squash is tender.
Blending the Squash Soup
Once the squash is tender, blend the whole soup smooth with an immersion blender! You could use a regular blender for this just be careful and make sure it cools a bit before blending. We are really on the way to the perfect chorizo squash soup!
If it feels too thick at this point, you could add a little stock or water as you blend it.
To cook the cheese, just cut it and brush it with a little oil. Cook it on the grill or in a grill pan on high heat to char. You could just do it in a regular nonstick frying pan too if it’s easier for you. I just liked getting the nice grill marks on mine. The grill marks helped the presentation of the chorizo squash soup.
Serving the Chorizo Squash Soup
Add the soup to the bowls and top with two slices of the cheese and a large spoonful of the chorizo. Amazing!
I really loved adding chorizo to squash soup, there was a little honey and mustard in there too which helped make it unique. Plus, anything with portuguese chorizo has such a great depth of flavor and it really helped this soup taste warm and hearty.
I still think it’s a funny play on words to use “grilled” cheese in this chorizo squash soup when it’s common to have a grilled cheese with soup.
Twists on Chorizo Squash Soup
I used random veggies I had around as the aromatics for the soup- onion, jalapeno, mushroom, and cabbage. These are all not essential and you could change it up with what you had around.
You could also use a bunch of different meats instead of the chorizo. Bacon is the obvious choice, but andouille would be awesome too!
Chorizo Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced Portuguese chorizo
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped cabbage
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 quart veggie stock
- 1 small butternut squash peeled and chopped about 3 cups chopped
- 5 fresh sage leaves ripped
- 1 sprig thyme leaves only
- 1 branch rosemary leaves only
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 8 oz queso freir
Instructions
- Cook the chorizo in a large soup pot in a little oil to brown slightly and render some of the fat. Remove from the pan and set aside in the fridge.
- Cook the onions and jalapenos on high heat in the oil/chorizo fat mixture for about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cabbage and continue to cook about 5 more minutes. There should be lots of browning going on.
- Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add in the wine and stir to combine, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the stock, squash, sage, thyme, rosemary, and cajun seasoning, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until the squash is soft.
- Add in the mustard. Blend with a hand blender and taste for seasoning. Add more salt/pepper/mustard/herbs if needed. Add some water or more stock if it is too thick. Simmer another 10 minutes and blend again to make sure it is nice and smooth.
- Slice the cheese into 8 squares. Cook the cheese on a grill pan or frying pan to brown and heat through.
- To serve, warm up the chorizo, fill bowls with soup, top with some of the chorizo, and add a slice or two of the fried cheese.