Butternut Squash Soup, roasted

This straightforward roasted butternut squash soup is full of flavor and is ultra-creamy, without any cream or butter! It’s the reliable fall soup.

What stands out

What stands out: It’s creamy and luxurious without butter or cream!

How long it takes: 1 hour 35 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: Oven, baking sheet, large pot, immersion blender
Servings: 6

Butternut squash soup is one of our favorites. However, most recipes we come across are cream based. While this is tasty, it’s not always the healthiest choice. This recipe has no cream or butter in it, but you will honestly not believe how creamy it tastes.

About This Squash Soup Recipe

It begins with roasted butternut squash. Roasting the squash brings out so much sweetness and flavor. Don’t be worried if it gets a little brown; that’s just more flavor!

In the meantime, sauté onions and celery until they start to soften, and then add lots of fresh sage. Sage + squash just screams fall!

When the squash is golden brown and fork tender, add it back to the soup along with broth (vegetable or chicken!). Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes (your house will smell absolutely memorable).

After the soup has simmered, blend it with an immersion (handheld) blender, or you can transfer it into a blender (you’ll probably need to do this in batches). Make sure to vent the cover of the blender and drape a towel over it so it doesn’t explode on you. BE CAREFUL.

If it’s thick, add some broth to thin this creamy soup until it’s just the right consistency for you. We like our soup thick, but we typically end up adding about another cup of broth at the end.

You’ll also want to taste it at this point and add more salt and pepper as needed.

make It your own

Oh, so many ways! Here are some ideas:

• Make the soup even more creamy. If you do want to add a little cream to make this soup more decadent and even more creamy, go for it! Start with a quarter cup. If you want to keep it vegan, try adding a bit of coconut milk. We love the flavor coconut milk lends to the soup.
• Add a touch of sweetness.If you like a sweeter, less savory soup, omit the sage and add cinnamon and nutmeg instead, or season the squash before roasting (like this spicy sweet butternut squash), and then use the seasoned squash to make the soup. Another way to add natural sweetness is to roast a peeled apple with the squash and add that to the soup. Of course, you can always add a little brown sugar or maple syrup, to taste.
• TOPPINGS! It’s no secret that we love toppings! Try this squash soup topped with crumbled bacon (make speedy and straightforward air fryer bacon), from-scratch croutons, or crumbled sausage. A little minced parsley adds a great bright fresh flavor to the soup.
• More squash soup recipes: at-home Panera squash soup (a bit more lighter than the restaurant version), butternut squash soup with bacon, vegan butternut squash soup with roasted garlic, and kabocha squash soup.

Keeping leftovers

The soup is great to make ahead and will keep fresh in the fridge in a covered container for about four days. It also freezes well for up to three months. Freeze it in individual portions for straightforward lunches!

Thaw frozen soup in the fridge overnight for best results and rewarm in a saucepan or in microwave. You could also reheat larger amounts in a slow cooker.

What to serve with squash soup

It’s great on its own but it also pairs well with sandwiches or salads. Try these:

• Lighter Chicken Salad
• Best Ham and Cheese Sliders
• Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Egg Salad Sandwiches
• Sweet Kale Salad
• Kale Salad with Apples and Golden Raisins

Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this squash soup recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #46. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans.

Moroccan Stew with Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

Note: Photos and post updated October, 2019

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (3 lb.) butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
• 4 cups (32 oz.) low sodium vegetable or chicken broth (see note)

Method

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Peel and seed the squash. Cut into 1-inch cubes and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Spread in a single layer and roast for 15 minutes. Flip squash and continue to roast until softened, about 20 to 25 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add sage and saute 1 minute more.
3. Add broth and roasted squash and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.
4. Remove from heat. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Use a handheld (immersion) blender to blend soup directly in the pan. Return to stove and warm over medium-low heat. Add broth as needed to thin as desired. We typically add about 1 cup.
5. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

We love to serve this with crumbled cooked bacon if we're not serving it to vegetarians or vegans. It’s also great with from-scratch croutons.

To save time, skip the roasting step and cook the squash cubes in the broth until tender. It won’t have quite as much flavor, but it will reduce cooking time slightly and there’s one less pan to wash.

If desired, you can roast the squash a day or two ahead and refrigerate until ready to make the soup.