This warm, Autumn soup is delightfully full of flavor and pretty to look at!
Fall time brings cooler weather and it also brings a longing for soup and other dishes that warm the soul.
This is one of my go-to soup recipes for Fall and I’m excited to share it with you!
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Why you will love this roasted butternut squash soup
This roasted butternut squash soup has a depth of flavor that comes from oven roasting the butternut squash, from browning the onions, and from adding warm spices to it.
The toasted pine nuts bring another layer of texture to this creamy soup. You will love this Fall-time soup recipe!
Ingredients
Butternut squash is a Fall/Winter squash that has an orange flesh similar in color to that of sweet potatoes. Its flavor is nutty and mild and has a hint of sweetness to it.
Butternut squash is hard and dense before it is cooked and should be handled with caution when trying to cut it up.
According to Medical News Today, butternut squash is an excellent source of fiber and potassium.
Studies show that butternut squash can be beneficial for maintaining a healthy blood pressure, and it may help decrease the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
I personally love butternut squash! The texture of this soup comes out super creamy without even adding any sort of cream to it and the flavor is delicious.
And you know what makes it even more delicious? Roasting it! When you roast butternut squash it brings out the rich nutty flavor of the squash itself and adds a deep dimension to the soup that might be lacking if you just boil or simmer the squash.
There are multiple reasons to roast butternut squash before cubing it up. When cooking butternut squash, it is much easier to roast it than other methods of cooking.
The first time I tried to cut up butternut squash, I learned my lesson. It must be roasted and softened before trying to peel and cube it.
The squash itself is very dense and almost wood-like in texture when it is raw and it is very difficult to peel and cube it before it has cooked. I would classify it as “dangerous” to cut it up while it is raw.
As for the spices, I’m all about fresh cracked pepper in certain recipes and this would be one of those! Don’t settle for ground pepper from the store. Instead, bust out your pepper mill and crack the pepper yourself. It adds a lot of flavor!
The toasted pine nuts add a little texture and more nuttiness to this soup. I LOVE toasted pine nuts and they complement this soup well. Check out my guide on how to toast pine nuts 🡨here. It only takes a few minutes!
These are the ingredients for roasted butternut squash soup:
- Butternut squash
- Vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Fresh garlic
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Toasted pine nuts (garnish)
- Heavy cream (garnish)
How to make roasted butternut squash soup
We will begin with how to roast butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Take a very sharp chef’s knife or large knife and cut the butternut squash in half from top to bottom.
USE CAUTION! Butternut squash is very dense by nature, and it can be difficult to cut through it.
Once you have cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the stringy mushy part that contains the seeds. You can either discard this, or you can save the seeds to roast.
Roasted butternut squash seeds are a delicious snack, or you could even use them to garnish this soup! I prefer to use toasted pine nuts in this recipe instead.
Transfer the butternut squash halves to a large baking dish, skin side down, and brush the flesh of it with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top also.
Place it in the oven and let it roast for about 35-40 minutes until it starts to brown and it is fork tender.
While it is roasting in the oven, finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. In a large, heavy bottom pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil up and add the onions.
Sauté them for 8-10 minutes, stirring them frequently, until they begin to caramelize and turn brown.
Once they begin to do so, add the minced garlic and the spices and give it a stir. Sauté them together for another minute.
Add the vegetable stock (or chicken stock) and bring it to a simmer.
Once the butternut squash is roasted and fork tender, scoop it out with a spoon or cut it out of the skin.
Add it to the simmering pot and cook it all together for about 10 minutes or so in order to meld all those flavors together.
Turn the heat off, and with an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is completely smooth.
You will see that the soup has a super creamy texture, due to the butternut squash. If it seems too thick, add a little more vegetable stock.
Portion the soup into bowls and add a splash of heavy cream to the top of each bowl, a teaspoon of toasted pine nuts and more cracked pepper if desired. Enjoy!
Variations
Even though this soup is delicious as-is, sometimes you just want something different and more adventurous.
You could spice it up by adding some coconut milk, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and ginger garlic paste for more of a Thai inspired butternut squash soup.
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Immersion blender
FAQ’s
How do you fix bland butternut squash soup?
Brown the onions and add plenty of spices to your soup to make it flavorful. Warm fall spices like rosemary and sage complement butternut squash soup and help to make it full of flavor.
How to cut up butternut squash?
I recommend cutting butternut squash in half and roasting it before trying to cube it or remove it from the skin.
Butternut squash is a very dense squash when it is raw, and it can be dangerous to skin it and cube it while it is still in its raw state.
- Take a sharp knife and cut it in half from top to bottom
- Scoop out the stringy part and seeds
- Brush it with olive oil
- Roast it in the oven at 400°F for 35-40 minutes
- Scoop the roasted butternut squash out from the skin with a spoon
- Easily cube the roasted butternut squash with a knife
📖 Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large butternut squash
- 4-5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil separated
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- With a sharp chef’s knife or large knife, carefully cut the butternut squash in half from top to bottom and scoop out the stringy part with the seeds and discard them. Place the squash halves flesh side up in a large baking pan.
- Brush the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast it in the oven for 35-40 minutes until it begins to brown, and it becomes fork tender.
- While the butternut squash roasts, finely dice the onions and mince the garlic.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat then add the diced onions. Sauté the onions for 6-8 minutes until they begin to caramelize and brown.
- Add the spices and the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add 4 cups of the vegetable stock (or chicken stock) and bring it to a simmer.
- Once the butternut squash is roasted and fork tender, scoop it out from the skin and add it to the simmering pot and let it cook together for 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and blend the soup with an immersion blender until it is completely smooth. If it is too thick, add the rest of the vegetable stock and heat through.
- Portion the soup out into bowls and garnish each bowl with a splash of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts and more fresh cracked pepper. Serve and enjoy!
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