Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup is a creamy and comforting dish made primarily from blended squash, often combined with other vegetables, herbs, and spices to enhance its natural sweetness and earthy flavour. It is a versatile soup that can be served as a starter or a main course and is popular during the fall and winter seasons when squash is in abundance.
In this blog post, you will learn how to make a creamy, squash soup.
How to Prepare the Squash
While peeling a squash and then simmering it in a soup until tender can be a preferred method for recipes, this recipe prefers to bake the squash to remove the flesh before putting it into the soup.
Merely, cut your squash in half and spread butter on the inside flesh of the squash. Secondly, place the squash flesh down on a lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 400℉/200℃/Gas Mark 6.
Once baked, you should be easily able to scoop the tender, squash flesh out.
What is in the Butternut Squash Soup?
The base of this soup is butternut squash and vegetable broth. The vegetable broth can either be homemade or made using a vegetable stock cube. You will need 2 stock cubes to be dissolved in 4 cups of water for this recipe.
Onions and garlic cloves are sautéed, and then this butternut squash soup is seasoned with salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, and ginger powder. You can choose to use whole rosemary or use fresh rosemary stalks tied together and removed right before the squash soup is blended.
How to Make the Butternut Squash Soup
Bake your squash for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and once cooled scoop out the flesh and set aside. In a flame-proof casserole dish, heat some oil and add in the onions and sauté. Once sautéed, add in the garlic and sauté until aromatic. Pour in your roasted squash and season with salt in pepper. Next, pour in your vegetable broth and season with sage, rosemary, and ginger. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in either a stand blender or a handheld blended. Be careful as the soup will still be quite hot. Enjoy!
Can I Use a Different Type of Squash?
Yes, you can! Squash is a versatile vegetable that comes in many varieties, broadly categorized into summer and winter squash. Besides, each type has its unique flavour, texture, and culinary uses.
This recipe uses Butternut Squash because I find that it is the easiest type of squash to find in a grocery store without having to go to a farmer’s market.
Summer Squash
- Zucchini:
- Appearance: Long, cylindrical shape with smooth, thin green skin. Some varieties are yellow.
- Flavour: Mild, slightly sweet flavour with a tender texture.
- Uses: Sautéed, grilled, baked, or used in salads and stir-fries.
- Yellow Squash:
- Appearance: Crookneck or straight neck with smooth, thin yellow skin.
- Flavour: Mild and slightly sweet with a tender texture.
- Uses: Grilled, roasted, sautéed, or used in casseroles and soups.
- Pattypan Squash:
- Appearance: Small, round, and flat with scalloped edges, available in yellow, green, or white.
- Flavour: Mild and slightly sweet with a tender-crisp texture.
- Uses: Roasted, grilled, stuffed, or sautéed.
- Cousa Squash:
- Appearance: Short, squat, and pale green with thin skin.
- Flavour: Similar to zucchini, mild and slightly sweet with a tender texture.
- Uses: Stuffed, sautéed, or grilled.
Winter Squash
- Butternut Squash:
- Appearance: Bell-shaped with a smooth, pale beige skin and vibrant orange flesh.
- Flavour: Sweet and nutty with a creamy texture.
- Uses: Roasted, pureed in soups, used in casseroles, or mashed.
- Acorn Squash:
- Appearance: Small, acorn-shaped with dark green skin and deep ridges.
- Flavour: Mildly sweet and nutty with a slightly fibrous texture.
- Uses: Baked, roasted, or stuffed.
- Spaghetti Squash:
- Appearance: Oblong with a pale yellow skin and stringy flesh.
- Flavour: Mild, slightly sweet with a unique texture that separates into spaghetti-like strands when cooked.
- Uses: Roasted and used as a low-carb substitute for pasta, or in casseroles and salads.
- Kabocha Squash:
- Appearance: Small, round with dark green skin and bright orange flesh.
- Flavour: Sweet and nutty with a dense, creamy texture.
- Uses: Roasted, steamed, or used in soups and stews.
- Delicata Squash:
- Appearance: Small, elongated with cream-colored skin and green stripes.
- Flavour: Sweet, reminiscent of corn and pumpkin, with a creamy texture.
- Uses: Roasted, stuffed, or used in salads.
- Hubbard Squash:
- Appearance: Large and irregularly shaped with bumpy, hard skin in colors like blue, green, or orange.
- Flavour: Sweet and rich with a dense texture.
- Uses: Roasted, used in soups and purees, or baked into pies.
- Buttercup Squash:
- Appearance: Small and round with dark green skin and a turban-shaped top.
- Flavour: Sweet and creamy with a dense texture.
- Uses: Roasted, steamed, or used in soups and stews.
- Pumpkin:
- Appearance: Round with smooth, orange skin and fibrous orange flesh.
- Flavour: Sweet and slightly earthy with a dense, fibrous texture.
- Uses: Roasted, pureed in soups, baked in pies, or used in casseroles and baked goods.
Differences in the Squash
Each type of squash has its unique characteristics, making them suitable for various culinary applications. Summer squashes like zucchini and yellow squash are great for quick-cooking methods, while winter squashes like butternut and acorn squash are ideal for roasting and baking, providing rich, sweet flavours and creamy textures. Whether used in savoury dishes, soups, or desserts, squash is a versatile ingredient that adds nutrition and flavour to many meals.
Ingredients
Butternut Squash: butternut squash provides the primary base of the soup, offering sweetness, richness, and a velvety texture when pureed. The natural sugars in the squash also create a subtle caramelized flavour when cooked.
Onion: the onion adds a foundational sweetness and depth of flavour. When sautéed, onions become tender and enhance the overall savoury profile of the soup.
Garlic Cloves: the garlic cloves provide an aromatic and slightly spicy note, adding complexity and depth to the flavour of the soup. Garlic’s pungency mellows when cooked, blending seamlessly with the other ingredients.
Salt: salt enhances the natural flavours of all the ingredients, balancing sweetness and ensuring the soup is well-seasoned. Salt is essential for bringing out the depth of flavour in the squash and other components.
Sage: sage adds an earthy and slightly peppery note, complementing the sweetness of the butternut squash. Sage provides a warm, aromatic element that enriches the overall flavour profile.
Rosemary: rosemary infuses the soup with a robust, aromatic quality. Rosemary’s strong, earthy notes add depth and complexity, pairing well with the sweetness of the squash and the savoury components.
Ginger Powder: ginger powder adds a subtle warmth and gentle spiciness that enhances the soup’s flavour. Ginger complements the sweetness of the butternut squash and adds a hint of exotic zest.
Vegetable Broth: vegetable broth provides the liquid component necessary for blending the soup to a smooth consistency. Vegetable broth adds savoury depth and helps to meld all the flavours together, making the soup rich and flavourful without overpowering the delicate taste of the squash.
Tips
- Other types of squash can be used instead of butternut squash. Try using different kinds of squash for a slightly different flavour.
- Swap out the ginger powder for real ginger flakes. It will be fully immersed once the soup is blended.
- Instead of rosemary pieces, tie your stalks of rosemary together and season the soup. Remove right before blending.
- Make your own vegetable broth at home for a more robust flavour.
Try Making Your Homemade Vegetable Broth with this recipe here: Vegetable Broth
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves diced
- 1/2 tsp. Himalayan Salt
- 2 tsp. sage
- 1 tsp. rosemary or a rosemary bundle
- 2 tsp. ginger powder
- 4 c. vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉/200℃/Gas Mark 6.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut your squash in half and brush the flesh part of the squash with butter. Place flesh side down on the baking sheet. Bake the squash for 1 hour. Remove from oven and scoop out the flesh and place into a bowl.
- In a flame proof casserole dish, add your vegetable oil and turn on to a medium heat.
- Add your onions and cook them until they are softened. About 7-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute until it is aromatic.
- Pour in the baked squash and season with salt and pepper.
- Add your vegetable broth, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low leaving the soup covered and on a simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove from the heat. Either use a standup blender or a handheld blender to blend the soup. A handheld blender can be easily placed into the pot and used to blend the soup. Be careful however as the soup is still hot.
- Blend the soup until it is smooth. If you used rosemary, that herb will most likely not blend very well so there will be pieces of it still in the soup. Serve with a nice sandwich or toast!