The Perfect Butternut Squash Soup ~ this fragrant, silky soup is the best I’ve found, and it’s so easy to make. Fall doesn’t officially begin until we’ve made a batch of this wonderful soup!
This soup avoids all the pitfalls that pureed vegetable soups occasionally fall into. It’s not bland, it has good strong flavor, but the flavors don’t overpower the squash either. The Indian inspired spices are evident, but they stay in the background. It’s got a hint of sweetness from the apple, but it’s not so sweet that it tastes like dessert. There’s no cream in it, so it’s neither heavy nor a billion calories. It’s lovely, really.
This recipe comes from my sister. She serves huge vats of it at her annual neighborhood Halloween open house and gets rave reviews. I fiddled just a tiny bit with her recipe, because, well, that’s what sisters do. She uses celery and nutmeg, I left them out. I add in mustard seed and coriander seed. Nothing major. I’m sure you’ll make your own special tweaks as well. But as far as I’m concerned, I don’t ever need to look for another butternut squash soup recipe.
Love winter squash? Try my WHIPPED KABOCHA SQUASH or my WHOLE ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH for a change of pace.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter (use olive oil for paleo)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 1 tsp coriander seed
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and rough chopped
- 26 oz box chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and fresh pepper
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Heat the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot. Sauté the onion, shallot, apple, and ginger for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the spices, and continue to cook for a few more minutes, stirring so nothing burns.
- Add the squash to the pot, give it all a good stir, and then the stock and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer, covered, until the squash is completely tender.
- Remove the bay leaves and puree the soup either with an immersion blender, a regular blender, or in a food processor (in batches)
- Reheat the soup, add the lemon juice, and check the seasonings. If it seems too thick at this point, add more stock or water. Garnish with sour cream and toasted pepitas.
- The soup will taste even better after a day in the fridge. I always make mine the day before.
Make it your own ~
- I think this would work well with any winter squash, try pumpkin, or kabocha.
DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS PERFECT BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP!
14 Comments
Robin
January 13, 2019 at 3:05 pmMaking this tonight and cannot figure out where to add the ginger??
Otherwise it looks great.
Sue
January 13, 2019 at 3:27 pmSorry for the confusion Robin, you can sauté it along with the onions and apple.
michelle
January 23, 2013 at 4:15 pmthanks for the recipe! my family loved this soup and it is now my go to butternut squash soup recipe. i didn’t have all the spices, substituted a little mustard powder for the mustard seeds, and it was still amazing.
Sue
August 26, 2017 at 10:09 amMustard powder sounds like a great addition!
Claudia
October 12, 2012 at 3:22 pmThis is pure autumn loveliness. I also love that it is without cream. And the presentation sparkles.
Sue
August 27, 2017 at 6:52 amI think cream just dilutes that wonderful flavor. Thanks Claudia!
belleau kitchen
October 12, 2012 at 7:20 amloving the inclusion of the apple in here, I bet it gives it an extra undertone that is fabulous!
Sue
August 27, 2017 at 6:52 amThe apple adds such a nice sweet note!
Liza in Ann Arbor
October 12, 2012 at 12:35 pmI like the lack of cream in this soup. I mean, nothing against cream, but a lighter version of such a scrumptious soup is indeed what I need right now. I’ll be giving this one a try.
l o v e l y t h i n g s
October 12, 2012 at 3:18 ammmmm…this is my favorite soup. I love the addition of toasted pepita on top. Such lovely photos as always!
xo
annie
From Beyond My Kitchen Window
October 12, 2012 at 1:01 amI served a soup very similar to Mary from Ocean Breezes last week. I used pumpkin instead of the squash. I love these kinds of soups.
the gardener's cottage
October 11, 2012 at 8:04 pmthis really does look and sound lovely sue. all your recipes are so beautifully put together and photographed. i always feel like i’m reading a book or magazine when i’m here. love butternut soup! xo
Barbara
October 11, 2012 at 4:39 pmI’ll be right over for leftovers!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
October 11, 2012 at 4:31 pmThe soup looks buttery and beautiful and rich; and the color is just gorgeous. I love making soup this time of year and love how yes, they do make leftovers, even if the hubs doesn’t want it, but lucky for me, mine loves soup so I’m in luck there.