Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup with Maple and Crispy Sage — The Autumn Soup Worth Making First
Roasted butternut squash pureed into a silky soup with Canadian wild rice, finished with maple syrup and crispy fried sage in brown butter.
By: HF Kitchen
Late Fall arrives in Canada with a particular quality of light, crisp enough in the afternoon to mistake for winter but with something in the evening air that makes you reach for a thick sweater and think about soup. This is that soup.
Butternut squash is roasted first, cut-side down on a hot pan until the flesh caramelizes and the edges turn amber. That step — twenty minutes in a hot oven before anything else happens — is what separates a squash soup with genuine depth from one that tastes merely pleasant. The roasted squash goes into the pot with onion, garlic, and vegetable stock, and is pureed until completely smooth and silky. Canadian wild rice — nutty, slightly chewy, entirely its own thing — goes in separately and is stirred through at the end, giving the soup a texture and substance that a straight puree cannot offer.
The maple syrup is not a sweetener. It is a seasoning — a tablespoon stirred in at the end that rounds the squash and brings the whole pot into focus. The crispy sage fried in brown butter and scattered across the top is the detail that makes the finished bowl feel considered rather than simply warm.
Make a large pot on Sunday. Eat it through the week. It improves every day.
A Few Notes Before You Begin
Roasting the squash is the step that cannot be skipped — boiled or steamed squash will produce a thinner, less complex flavour that the maple and sage cannot compensate for. Cut-side down on a parchment-lined tray at 200°C for 20 to 25 minutes is the method.
Wild rice takes considerably longer to cook than white or brown rice — 45 to 50 minutes on a simmer. Cook it separately in salted water while the soup comes together and stir it through at the end. Adding it to the pot before it is fully cooked will result in an undercooked, overly chewy texture.
For the crispy sage: a generous amount of butter in a small pan over medium heat, sage leaves added once the butter is foaming, fried for 60 to 90 seconds until crisp but not dark. The brown butter left in the pan goes over the soup with the sage — do not discard it.
This soup freezes extremely well without the wild rice and sage garnish. Freeze the base in portions and add freshly cooked rice and crispy sage when reheating.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 large butternut squash, approximately 1.2kg, halved lengthways and deseeded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 liter good quality vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon Canadian maple syrup
• 180 grams wild rice, rinsed
• 600 milliliters salted water for cooking wild rice
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 fresh sage leaves
• 4 tablespoons full-fat cream or creme fraiche to finish
STEPS
1. Roast the squash: Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Place 1 large butternut squash approximately 1.2kg, halved lengthways and deseeded, cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking tray. Brush with 1 tbsp of 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast for 22–25 minutes until the flesh is completely tender and the cut surface is caramelized and amber. Set aside to cool slightly, then scoop the flesh from the skin.
2. Cook the wild rice: While the squash roasts, bring 600 milliliters salted water for cooking wild rice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 180 grams wild rice, rinsed and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 45–50 minutes until the wild rice is tender and the grains have begun to split open. Drain and set aside. (45 minutes)
3. Build the soup: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, roughly chopped and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the roasted squash flesh, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, and 1 liter good quality vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. (15 minutes)
4. Puree and season: Remove from the heat. Using a stick blender or working in batches in a standing blender, puree until completely smooth and silky. Return to the pot over low heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon Canadian maple syrup and taste for seasoning. Add a splash more stock if the soup is thicker than you would like.
5. Make the crispy sage: Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add 12 fresh sage leaves in a single layer and fry for 60–1m 30s until crisp and fragrant. Remove the sage with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towel. Reserve the brown butter in the pan.
6. Finish and serve: Stir the cooked wild rice through the soup. Ladle into wide bowls. Add a spoonful of 4 tablespoons full-fat cream or creme fraiche to finish to each bowl. Scatter crispy sage leaves over the top and drizzle the reserved brown butter over each serving. Serve immediately.
NOTES
Roasting the squash is non-negotiable — it develops the depth of flavour the soup depends on. Do not skip it or substitute with steamed squash. Wild rice cooks separately and is stirred through at the end — add it to the pot uncooked and it will not cook through properly. The soup base freezes beautifully without the rice and sage garnish; freeze in portions and add freshly cooked rice and crispy sage when reheating. Taste before adding salt — stock brands vary significantly in salinity.
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