I’m not really much of a soup person, but I love this one! I didn’t try butternut squash until it became a “trendy” vegetable but I’m glad I finally hopped on board. It has a very rich taste while still being healthy for you which I’m all for! It tastes a lot like sweet potato but slightly different.
I will say that i’ts very difficult to cut raw, so I always buy it pre-cubed. It’s 100% worth the extra money to buy it this way – trust me!! The first time I tried cooking with butternut squash I didn’t have a sharp enough knife and I got so frustrated that I gave up on the entire meal and we went to Cookout for dinner!
This soup recipe is delicious and pretty simple! You start by cooking the veggies in the bottom of a large stock pot.
Once they have cooked down and softened, you can add in the butternut squash.
Finally, you can add the chicken stock in and the rest of the ingredients. The soup needs to simmer here for about 1 hour so that the squash can cook down and all those flavors can mesh together. Then you just put the soup in a blender to get the right consistency. I don’t have a regular sized blender, but I do have a ninja smoothie blender and that worked fine.
This soup tastes great on it’s own and would be perfect for #MeatlessMonday! I served it alongside some grilled BBQ chicken for a quicker weeknight meal. My husband really liked his topped with pumpkin seeds, sour cream, and croutons so you can get creative there too!
I love using slightly sweet vegetables in savory dishes, like butternut squash. The flavor turns out very complex because of the contrast between the just barely sweet squash and the warmer spices and seasonings in the soup. Now that the cold weather is officially here in NC, I’ll be enjoying this soup all winter long.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large vidalia or yellow onion
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- pinch of nutmeg
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- sour cream, croutons, and pepitas for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, stirring occasionally. Cook until somewhat softened and onion is starting to become translucent, about 15 minutes.
- Add garlic, stirring frequently, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the butternut squash, applesauce, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce down to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour, or until squash and carrots easily fall apart when cut with the side of a spoon.
- Use an immersion blender or transfer to a stand blender and blend until completely smooth. Serve hot with garnishes (optional).
