This creamy butternut squash soup is one I almost always have in stock in the freezer during the fall and winter months. When I make it, I make a huge pot and freeze at least half. It is delicious and so easy to make.
Roasting the squash and apples first brings out their natural sweetness. Roasting the garlic first actually makes it easier to digest, but it also makes it taste so good!
I never do the same thing twice when making this, so I’m going to do my best at giving a specific recipe here. I always adjust based on what we have on hand. Sometimes I add carrots, shallots or ginger. Sometimes I omit the apples or pears if we don’t have any, or add more of each. If you want to save time, you can roast the veggies the night before, then you can make the soup in just a few minutes.
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut squash (~2+lb), peeled and diced in 1″-2″ cubes
- 1 small organic apple, cored and cut in wedges
- ½ organic pear, cored and cut into 3-4 wedges
- ½ medium yellow onion, cut in 3-4 large wedges
- 3 garlic cloves, still in paper (I often add more, but I LOVE garlic)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon good sea salt (more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 leaves fresh sage, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 3 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth, more to taste
- ⅓ cup of milk (whole, coconut or unsweetened almond), more to taste
- *optional: pinch of cayenne, thyme or cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400℉. Either grease baking sheet with oil or line with parchment paper. Spread squash, apple, pear, onion and garlic on baking sheet. Toss generously with roughly 1½ Tablespoons olive oil or melted coconut oil, adding remaining ½ of oil if necessary, good sea salt and ground black pepper.
Roast for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft — toss halfway though.
Remove baking sheet from oven. Put squash, onion, apple and pear in a big stock pot with 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth. Use a small fork to remove garlic form skin, add garlic to stock pot. Add fresh sage and cardamom. Set pot over medium-high heat. If you have time, let simmer for one hour. If you don’t have the time, don’t turn the stove on and just give everything a few minutes to cool down.
Once the ingredients are cool enough to handle, carefully transfer the warm soup to blender or Vitamix. Pureeing hot liquids in a blender can be very dangerous. I know this from personal experience – one time the lid came off my Vitamix and I burned my arm. Put a kitchen towel over the lid and hold it tight while you blend.
Depending on the size of your squash and your blender, you may or may not be able to put all the soup in to blend at one time. Slowly add the remaining cup of broth if the soup is too thick. Taste the soup and add more salt, pepper, or other seasonings if you like.
Once you have the soup at the thickness you like, swirl the milk and do one quick blend or stir.
Serve warm. I like to serve with parmesan tuiles or roasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes:
Optional step, before adding all ingredients to stock pot: Add fresh chopped sage to big stock pot with olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Apples: Use whatever type of apple you like: Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, etc.
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