The perfect butternut squash soup is fragrant, silky, and so delicious. This easy make ahead recipe is ideal for holiday entertaining.
Butternut squash soup strikes the perfect balance
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, well, perfect really.
This is my sister’s butternut squash soup recipe
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 curry powder. 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. This one goes from tailgating parties to the Thanksgiving table.
best way to cook squash for soup
My sister peels raw squash, cubes the flesh, and boils it until soft. I think it’s much easier and more efficient to simply roast the squash in the oven. You can scoop out the soft squash and pop it right in the blender. Roasting is not only easier, but I think it concentrates the beautiful butternut flavor, as well.
make this soup ahead of time
Butternut squash soup benefits from sitting in the refrigerator overnight, so it’s an ideal recipe for busy holiday entertaining. Blend it up and chill for up to 3 days. Simply reheat when ready to serve.
Love winter squash?
- How to Cook Any Type of Winter Squash
- Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash
- Chili Stuffed Acorn Squash
- How to Roast Squash Seeds, 5 Ways
The Perfect Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 Tbsp butter, (use olive oil for paleo)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 shallot, peeled and minced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp each salt and fresh cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stringy parts. Reserve the seeds to toast, if you like. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and roast until the tip of a sharp knife pierces the thickest part of the squash easily.
- Meanwhile heat the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot. Sauté the onion, shallot, apple, ginger, curry, salt and pepper for a few minutes, stirring often until the onions and apples begin to soften.
- Add the contents of the pot to a blender or food processor.
- Scoop out the squash flesh and add to the blender, along with the stock. Blend until everything is silky smooth.
- At this point you can refrigerate the soup for up to 2 days in advance, or you can return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve the soup hot, in small bowls or mugs, garnished with toasted butternut seeds*, a dollop of sour cream, or fresh herbs.
- The soup will taste even better after a day in the fridge. I always make mine the day before.
Notes
- I think this would work well with any winter squash, try pumpkin, or kabocha.
- If you’d like to enrich this soup with a little cream, stir it in at the end and heat through.
Made this soup tonight exactly as written & it was heavenly! The Vitamix does a great job of making it silky smooth. Sue, your recipes sure do add to our enjoyment of life – thanks for all your hard work, we appreciate it!
I’ve found the easiest and quickest way to cook squash (any variety) is in the microwave. Place the squash on a paper plate; you can just toss the plate when done. I stab the squash 2 or 3 times on all sides then place it in the microwave for 6 minutes (for smaller squash) on high. Then turn it over and nuke for however long I estimate it will take. Be careful when it done; it is extremely hot! But it will cut in half like slicing butter. Scoop our your seeds. Then scoop out the cooked squash!
I’ll try that Hattie, I love microwave cooking hacks, it’s such an amazing tool.
Lovin’ a dairy-free butternut squash soup recipe! Can I freeze the leftovers? I intend to make a large pot of soup. Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes, this soup will freeze well ~ happy holidays!
Omg! Yum! I recreated this recipe I first tasted on a date a few weeks ago. It was a high end restaurant. Delicious. I followed the recipe to the letter. I added the sour cream and pepitas for garnish. I wish I could upload the photo.
Hi Sue
Can I use frozen butternut chunks in this soup recipe?
Thanks, Cindy
Yes that will work fine Cindy.
I made this recipes as written, except for these small changes: I used hot curry powder because I was out of the sweet curry, I made my own chicken stock and I roasted my squash because I think it was easier and better tasting. Otherwise it’s exactly as written. I think it has an exquisite taste. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Love your tweaks, yum!