This savory butternut squash soup is delicious, easy, and healthy, full of fall flavors. It's creamy, but light (no cream, butter, or sugar here!), and full of roasted butternut squash, sweet onion, and garlic.
Why This Recipe is Awesome
- It's insanely simple to make!
- You can totally cheat and save time with pre-chopped butternut squash from the grocery store.
- It's smooth and creamy without cream - making it naturally dairy-free and instantly lighter.
- It can easily be vegetarian or vegan by using vegetable broth.
- Butternut squash is sweet enough on its own, so there's no added sugar in this recipe!
How to Make Savory Butternut Squash Soup
The full recipe is below, but here's the gist of what you need:
Ingredients
- peeled and cubed butternut squash (store-bought pre-chopped is totally acceptable!)
- sweet onion
- garlic cloves
- dried thyme
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- broth of choice (I typically use vegetable broth or a homemade chicken or turkey broth)
Equipment
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- cutting board, chef's knife, and vegetable peeler (if using a whole butternut squash)
- measuring cups and spoons
- a sheet pan
- a blender (I've used both this KitchenAid blender and Vitamix)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If using a whole butternut squash, carefully peel it and cube the flesh into one-inch pieces.
- Peel and slice the onion into wedges.
- Peel the garlic cloves and smash them by placing each clove (one at a time) on a cutting board, resting your chef's knife on top of it (sharp side pointed away from you), and then smacking the palm of your hand on top of the flat edge (not the sharp edge, but please do be careful regardless) of the knife.
- Place the cubed squash, onion, and garlic on the sheet pan. Add the olive oil, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat.
- Roast for 30-35 minutes - you want the squash to be tender, but the soup will be a lot more flavorful with some color (caramelization) on the squash, onions, and garlic.
- Remove from oven and let cool about 5-10 minutes, or until cool enough to more easily handle.
- Transfer all of the roasted vegetables on the sheet pan to a blender and add the broth.
- Blend on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until soup is pureed quite smooth.
- Serve and enjoy!
Top Troubleshooting and Bonus Tips
- Be sure to roast long enough for some caramelization (color) on the squash, but don't burn the garlic or onions!
- If you have small cloves of garlic, try adding them to the sheet pan halfway through roasting, so they don't burn.
- Keep the onion in larger wedges (about 8-10 per onion), to help them cook more evenly with the butternut squash.
- If you're a garlic lover, measure your garlic with your heart. 😉
- Blend an extra minute longer than you think you need. The soup will look pureed after 30-60 seconds, but keep it going to help it get ultra silky smooth and creamy!
- To make it even easier for a weeknight meal, you can try these three ideas:
- Chop everything beforehand and have all ingredients (besides the broth) in a container, ready to be tossed on a sheet pan when you're ready to roast.
- Go ahead and roast everything whenever your oven is already on/ in use. Then just combine with the broth and puree in the blender and reheat over the stove when you're ready to enjoy.
- Make the soup in its entirety and reheat within a day or two.
Why is this soup healthy?
Most other butternut squash soup recipes are either heavy on the cream or butter, have added sugar, or both. It's not that cream, butter, or sugar will kill ya - my clients know my nutrition philosophy is realistic, and centered on moderation and balance - but a lot of times they're just not necessary. Like with this soup - it lets the butternut squash be the star!
Plus, without the cream/ butter/ sugar additions, this ends up being a lower calorie butternut squash soup.
Butternut squash itself is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and carotenoids (where its bright color comes from) (source).
How to Make it a Balanced Meal
My clients know I'm big on keeping meals simple, healthy, and balanced to promote health, satisfaction, fullness, and weight management!
To include this healthy butternut squash soup in a balanced meal, try pairing it with a sandwich loaded with veggies, cheese (fat and protein), turkey (protein), and whole grain bread (carbs, fiber) or with a salad with leafy greens, crunchy chickpeas (protein, carbs, fiber), shredded sharp cheddar (protein, fat), apple chips (carbs), and an apple cider vinaigrette.
What to do with Leftovers (Meal Prep!)
Leftovers make for amazing meal prep! The soup can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days, and in the freezer up to 3 months (be sure to date your leftovers before refrigerating/ freezing, so you know just how long they've been in there!).
I like to portion leftovers in individual servings for either the fridge or freezer, perfect whenever we need to grab a quick portion for a meal. They can even be taken straight from the freezer and reheated at work!
To reheat from the fridge, heat in a pan on the stove over medium heat for 3-5 minutes - you'll see a few bubbles forming, but it shouldn't be boiling (too hot! Cool before you eat!). You can also reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, stirring thoroughly when removed to avoid hot pockets.
To reheat from the freezer, you can thaw overnight in the fridge, thaw in a water bath, or put straight into a pan on the stove or in the microwave. You may need to add a little extra water or broth if thawing over the stove (over medium-low heat). In the microwave, defrost for 4-5 minutes, then heat an additional minute on high.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
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Savory Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 medium sweet onion cut into wedges
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups unsalted broth (vegetable or poultry)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- If using a whole butternut squash, carefully peel it and cube the flesh into one-inch pieces. Peel and slice the onion into wedges. Peel the garlic cloves and smash them by placing each clove (one at a time) on a cutting board, resting your chef's knife on top of it (sharp side pointed away from you), and then smacking the palm of your hand on top of the flat edge (not the sharp edge, but please do be careful regardless) of the knife.
- Place the cubed squash, onion, and garlic on the sheet pan. Add the olive oil, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat.
- Roast for 30-35 minutes - you want the squash to be tender, but the soup will be a lot more flavorful with some color (caramelization) on the squash, onions, and garlic.
- Remove from oven and let cool about 5-10 minutes, or until cool enough to more easily handle.
- Transfer all of the roasted vegetables on the sheet pan to a blender and add the broth. Blend on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until soup is pureed quite smooth.
- Serve and enjoy!
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