This easy chorizo and butternut squash soup is the perfect Autumn soup recipe – simple to prepare and best eaten in a cozy room on a cold day. The rendered chorizo fat creates a super flavorful base for this spicy, hearty soup.
This chorizo and butternut squash soup is a quintessential fall recipe. It’s filled to the brim with spicy chorizo, black beans, and butternut squash for a warm, comforting bowl of soup that you’ll love enjoying on a crisp autumn evening.
How to make this chorizo and butternut squash soup:
First, you’ll start by rendering the fat from chorizo. Chorizo fat is basically liquid gold, so you’ll want to keep it in the soup pot. If you have particularly fatty chorizo, you can strain off a bit of it from the pot. Be sure to leave at least a tablespoon of fat in the pot.
After you’ve rendered the fat and removed the chorizo from the pot, add the onion and sauté until it is golden brown. Add the garlic and light part of the scallions and cook until fragrant, only a minute or two.
In this recipe, I add just a bit of stock first to help loosen up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Then, I add the butternut squash and black beans along with the remaining stock. You just want to make sure you really get any of the stuck-on bits incorporated into the broth, so adding a ladle of stock helps with that.
Next, add your spices. I opt for warm spices in this soup, including:
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Cayenne
- Maple Syrup
The combination of warm autumn spices paired with the heat from cayenne and chorizo and the sweetness of maple syrup creates a luxurious, sweet, spicy, and warming soup that really cannot be beat!
Easy Chorizo and Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds butternut squash (peeled, deseeded, and diced)
- 1 pound Mexican chorizo (Loose; if using links, be sure to remove the casing first)
- 1 Vidalia onion (peeled and diced)
- 3 scallions (trimmed and minced; white and light green parts separated from dark parts)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Cayenne powder (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or use brown sugar)
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Instructions
Fry the chorizo:
- In a 4-quart soup pot, add the chorizo and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until well-browned, the fat has rendered, and the meat is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chorizo out and transfer to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
Fry the aromatics:
- Add the diced onion to the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring regularly, for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the onion is golden brown and softened. Add the garlic and light green and white parts of the scallions and stir for 1 minute.
Deglaze the pot:
- Add ½ cup of chicken stock to the pot and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom.
- Add the diced butternut squash and then add the remaining chicken stock along with the drained black beans. Bring to a boil and then season with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, a touch of cayenne, cloves, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the butternut squash has softened.
Finish the soup:
- Taste the soup and season to your taste. If desired, use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup. Add the cooked chorizo and heavy cream. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered.
To serve:
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the sliced scallion greens. Enjoy!
My husband said this was the best soup he ever ate. This was easy to make & delicious
I’m so happy it was a hit! Thank you for the comment!