Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese Nugget

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Butternut squash is the perfect vegetable for a creamy soup. It becomes velvety smooth and so delicious. When roasted, the flavors intensify and develop.

I include carrots, rosemary and ginger to the mix which adds several different layers of flavor. Carrots naturally sweeten the soup and ginger gives it a kick without it being actually spicy. The rosemary just adds the right amount of earthy flavor to compliment the rest of the vegetables.

This soup has one element that steals the show though, the fried goat cheese nugget! It is so decadent. It is lightly coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs and when you dig into it, it’s sweet and smooth and all things heavenly.

Detailed instructions on how to make this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese Nugget:

In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese with a bit of salt and pepper.

I used a honey goat cheese as it’s a favorite in my house, plain goat cheese works perfectly too.

Stir and make the goat cheese smooth so it becomes creamy and easier to scoop. Using a small ice cream scooper, scoop out 4 little goat cheese balls, place them, on a small plate and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Tip! I work on the soup while the cheese freezes. By the time the soup is done, the cheese has frozen enough.

On to the soup! Peel a medium size butternut squash, a squash this size should yield 4 cups or more.

If you have more than 4 cups, it is perfectly fine to use more. It won’t change the overall flavor of the soup.

Prepare the Squash for the Soup

Cut the squash in half and using a spoon, scoop out all the seeds. Cut the squash into 1 inch size cubes. Peel carrots and cut into 1 inch size pieces as well. It takes around 3 carrots to get 2 cups of cubed carrots.

Tip! The carrots and squash take around the same time to cook, so by cutting them around the same size they will be ready at the same time.

Cut and peel a 1 inch piece of fresh ginger and add in with the rest of the vegetables along with a sprig of rosemary.

Coat all the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Be generous with these three ingredients as this is the best time to season them.

Bake the vegetables for 40 minutes. Half way through the baking time, check on the vegetables and give them a toss. This will allow them to brown evenly in all sides.

Tip! Brown bits on these vegetables mean flavor! Brown, not burnt though.

Once the vegetables are all cooked through, toss them in a blender with 1 cup of the vegetable stock. Blend them until they are pureed. Without the top feeder part of the blender on, add a half a cup more of stock. Blend completely until it is a smooth puré.

Transfer the soup to a medium size pot. If the soup is very thick, and it will most likely be at this point, add another half a cup of vegetable stock. Add the butter and stir.

Tip! You determine how runny or thick you want to the soup to be by the amount of vegetable stock that you add to it. Just make sure to taste and adjust the salt and pepper as you add more stock.

Now that the soup is done lets focus attention back to the goat cheese.

Add the vegetable oil to a small frying pan and start heating on medium high heat.

Take the cheese out of the freezer and prepare the breading station.

Toss the cheese balls with the flour, shake off any excess flour as they just need a light coating.

In a small bowl, vigorously whisk the egg white until it is a bit frothy.

In a small plate, add the panko breadcrumbs and season with salt.

Working with one cheese ball at a time, dip the cheese balls in the egg whites and make sure they are coated all over. Gently, roll them on the breadcrumbs and pat softly to make sure the breadcrumbs are adhering to the cheese.

If the oil is heated, add the cheese to the pan and start frying it. Flip the cheese continuously as it can burn quickly. Keep flipping it to make sure the entire cheese ball is getting golden fried.

Tip! To test if the oil is heated properly, toss a little crumb of breading from the cheese to the frying pan, if it immediately starts bubbling then its ready. If it doesn’t, then it needs to heat a bit more. If it bubbles profusely, remove from heat and let it cool for a bit.

Line a small plate with paper towels and once the cheese is done, place the cheese on to the paper towels so the excess oil can be absorbed.

To avoid the cheese ball getting soggy, you will want to serve the cheese nuggets immediately after it is cooked. So serve the soup in a bowl and lay the cheese ball right on top of it. Enjoy!