There are so many variations of butternut squash soup, which all capture the spirit of fall in their own ways. It's hard to pick a favorite.
I wanted to play with their natural flavors, which are nutty, pumpkiny, and little bit sweet. Roasting intensifies all of these flavors and caramelizes the sugars. To further improve the flavor, I roast butternut squash alongside onions and apples. If some edges get charred, it adds a little depth of flavor, especially with the addition of smokey paprika.
Sage acts as the contrasting, but complimentary flavor. Fresh sage leaves are simmers in the pot of soup and then it gets topped with homemade sage croutons.
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs cubed butternut squash 1 large butternut
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 large apples
- 2 Tbs butter or olive oil
- 4-5 cups chicken broth
- 5 sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups home made croutons
Homemade Sage Croutons
- 2 large fresh baked sandwich rolls or a baguette
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 5 fresh sage leaves
- 1 oz fresh grated parmesan
Instructions
PREP
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut squash and apples into roughly 1" cubes (or slightly smaller to roast faster). Cut onions into large chunks.
- Melt butter.
- Prep croutons by cutting up the bread into half-inch chunks and chopping up the sage. (Or pull out leftover stuffing instead!)
ROAST VEGGIES & APPLES:
- Toss butternut squash, onions & apples with melted butter and a little salt and pepper on a baking tray.
- Roast in the oven for 10 minutes then stir. Continue to roast until fork-tender, another 20-30 minutes.
- Leave the oven ON after removing the soup, and don't clean the baking tray yet.
FINISH ON STOVE TOP:
- Remove baking tray and transfer everything to a dutch oven on the stove top.
- Add 3 cups of the chicken broth and all of the spices. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then puree with an immersion blender. Add more broth or water to thin it to desired consistency.
MAKE CROUTONS WHILE SOUP SIMMERS:
- Toss the bread cubes in a bowl with olive oil. Add salt and sage. (No need to toss with oil or salt if using stuffing).
- Spread out on the already-used baking tray. Toast in the oven until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. Set a timer so they don't burn!
- Toss with Parmesan cheese while still warm.
TASTE & SERVE:
- Taste the soup for seasonings, adjusting to taste. Serve with croutons or a chunk of hearty bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Working with butternut squash
I cook through at least a couple dozen butternut squashes each fall and winter. I have a few tricks to share.
Pre-cut vs whole
You can buy pre-cut butternut squash and throw it right in the roasting pan. If you do this, cut the onions and apples in similar sized chunks so they cook at the same rate.
However, if you are willing to spend the extra time peeling and cutting up a whole butternut squash, I think it's worth the effort. Whole squash tend to have a better flavor and texture (they dry out once cut at the store).
Butternut squash also get better the longer they are stored (whole), as the flesh turns sweeter and creamier. If stored too long, however, they tend to dry out. When selecting butternut squash at the store, pick ones that feel heavier than other ones of a similar size, as lighter ones have started drying out.
Peeling & dicing
Butternut squash peel surprisingly easy with a vegetable peeler. It takes just one swipe the remove the skin, sometimes a second swipe to clean it up, not unlike a potato. The hard part is hanging on to the odd shape.
Whole butternut squash typically weigh between 2-3 pounds and you'll lose 2-3 ounces after peeling and removing the seeds. So buy a slightly larger one at the grocery store.
Alternatively, you can buy two medium ones and only peel & dice the 'neck' portion, and save the round bottom for stuffing (when you roast the bowl portion, there's no need to peel them!)
Seeds
Be sure to save the seeds for roasting! Don't let pumpkin seeds take all of the glory - any winter squash seed is good for roasting. A single large butternut squash has about ½ of a cup of seeds, perfect for a two-person snack.
Roasting them in a lower temperature oven creates a perfectly crispy snack. But if you're impatient (which I sometimes am), you can roast them higher and they are done in 7-15 minutes. Get the details on the roasted squash seeds recipe.
Substitutions
While this soup's flavors are designed to perfectly compliment roasted butternut squash, a few other winter squashes can be substituted without too big of a change to the flavor profile.
- Honeynut - they look like mini butternut squash with a slightly more concentrated flavor
- Acorn squash - the flesh can be substituted but don't include the skin, it will be chewy in the soup. The best way to use this is roast the halves, then scoop out the flesh (because peeling the fluted edges is quite challenging).
- Pumpkin - the flesh from pie pumpkins could also be substituted
- Kabocha squash - also a great substitute
Apple varieties
Apples add sweetness and depth of flavor to soup. Any variety works, but you can pick your favorite to alter the soup's flavor:
- Sweet apple varieties: these are mostly sweet with very little tartness. Look for Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Gala.
- Tart apple varieties: these are much more tart than they are sweet. If you want to keep your soup savory, but want acidic notes (like adding a splash of vinegar or wine), look for tart apples like Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or McIntosh.
- Sweet-tart apple varieties: these are in the middle, offering a little of both. Try Braeburn, Cortland, Rave, or Juici.
- Cider flavors: add cider-like flavors with apples that are actually used for cider because of their natural baking-spice flavor. McIntosh is hard to beat for flavor, but Jonathan comes in at a close 2nd. These add an incredible flavor to the soup.
Homemade croutons
If you haven't cut up french bread and turned them into croutons, I urge you to give it a try. It's really quite easy and they taste significantly better than store bought.
Cut up (or tear) french bread into bite-sized chunks. Get out a large bowl and pour a little olive oil into it and swirl the oil around to coat the sides of the bowl. Add in the bread cubes and toss until coated. I find this distributes the olive oil much better than pouring it over the bread chunks, which ends up with the bread soaking up all of the olive oil where it landed.
Next, sprinkle the bread with salt and a little pepper, toss again. Then they are ready to go on a baking tray and toast in the oven.
I personally love using La Tourangelle's garlic oil (affiliate link) for making croutons. The garlic flavor is richer than garlic powder. I actually get it every month on Amazon's subscribe & save program so I don't run out. Some grocery stores carry it as well, usually between $8 and $12.
Perfect for thanksgiving
The flavors in this roasted butternut squash soup complement other items on a Thanksgiving menu incredibly well. Caramelizing the vegetables adds a subtle sweetness that pairs well with all of the savory side dishes. The spices (paprika and cinnamon) add a unique flavor without conflicting with the onion, sage, and other herbal flavors of popular dishes.
Since it can be made in advance and reheated Thanksgiving day, it's also a fuss free appetizer or side dish. You could also keep it warm in a crock pot to free up space on your cooktop.
However, my favorite use is to save it for the day after Thanksgiving. It pairs perfectly with a leftover turkey sandwich, a sage-heavy stuffing, and green bean casserole. It isn't the best alongside sweet potato casserole, which can overpower the flavors in this soup. But everything else is an excellent match.
This soup can be made a few days in advance and also keeps well in the freezer. Simply thaw overnight to reheat. All of the ingredients reheat well so your soup will still be creamy and flavorful.
You might also be interested in my green bean casserole with fresh green beans, or the make-ahead green bean casserole version (same recipe, but with make-ahead instructions).
You might also like
I love a good soup, and even have a Pinterest board dedicated to Soups All Year. Soups in fall and winter are obvious choices, but don't overlook a fresh summer soup either. Even if your summers are too hot to want to eat soup, you can freeze them for a cold winter night.
Try the Zuppa Toscana soup recipe with butternut squash next!
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