Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

The best roasted butternut squash recipe you’ll ever make. This healthy butternut squash soup recipe will teach you the basics of how to cook butternut squash and how to make the perfect bowl of savory butternut squash soup.

Soup has to be my ultimate go-to for comfort food when the temperature starts dropping. So today, I’m share one of my favorite comfort soup recipes: Roasted butternut squash soup.

It’s thick. Creamy. Nutty. Cheesy. Everything a bowl of soup should be.

This butternut squash soup recipe is gluten-free and (like with the majority of my recipes) vegan adaptable.

In this post, we’re going to learn:

• How to cook and work with butternut squash
• Why using the right kind of salt makes a big difference
• My recipe for the best roasted butternut squash soup

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How to Cook Butternut Squash

If you’re never worked with butternut squash before, it can seem a little intimidating. You’ll need to cook and prep the squash first before moving on to creating the soup.

Not to worry, though, because cooking butternut squash is actually simple and straight forward.

Prepping the squash:

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and clean out the seeds. Before the squash has been cooked, the flesh will be firm and inedible. (Well, I mean, you could eat hard raw butternut squash flesh, but ew. Don’t do that.)

From there, you can prep your squash for this recipe one of two ways (depending on how much time you have):

• In the oven
• In the microwave

Baking (takes about an hour):

This is my preferred method for prepping butternut squash (I just think it yields a richer flavor). If you’re a visual learner, I have a full video tutorial for this (linked below).

Lightly coat your butternut squash halves in coconut oil baking spray and bake at 375° for an hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Scoop squash flesh out of the shell and transfer into a food processor or blender. Blend until a smooth puree forms (adding a small splash of water if needed to help blend smoothly).

Microwave (takes 10-12 minutes):

This method is quick and efficient and perfect if you’re short on time.

Place your deseeded squash halves in a microwave safe container with about half an inch of water. Cover and microwave for 10-12 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Scoop squash flesh out of the shell and transfer into a food processor or blender. Blend until a smooth puree forms (adding a small splash of water if needed to help blend smoothly).

Video Tutorial for Baking Butternut Squash

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Using the Right Salt

Our family made the switch to less processed salts after doing some research to learn that not all salt is made (or processed) equally. Many brands of refined salt are depleted of much of their mineral and nutritional value.

Furthermore, we learned that 90 percent of common table salts (including sea, lake and rock salts)  may contain microplastics (i.e. little bits of plastic). 

We’ve made the switch to salt brands known for higher purity with less processing to retain more of their nutritional value. They’re fantastic for all kinds of cooking!

Celtic Sea Salt

(Non-GMO Verified, Vegan, Kosher and Paleo-Friendly)

Recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Cups butternut squash, cooked and pureed (about 1 large butternut squash)
• 4 Cloves of fresh garlic
• 1 Large onion, finely minced
• 1 Cup skim milk
• 1 Tbsp basil
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp Celtic salt
• Black pepper to taste
• Pinch of pepper
• Pinch of chili Powder
• 1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
• Coconut oil baking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Once you have cooked and prepped your squash (as explained earlier in this post), you’re ready to make your soup!

In a large pot over a medium heat, saute onions and 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil. Add in garlic, cumin, ginger. Saute until onions are soft and brown. Add nutritional yeast and cook another 3-5 minutes.

Add in squash, basil and oregano, stirring continually until well blended. Add milk, chili powder, pepper and garlic salt and stir until combined. Continue cooking and stirring until soup comes to a gentle bubble. Mix in cheese and serve immediately.

This recipe yields 2 heaping bowls of soup.

Prep Tips:

• If you want a smoother consistency (or to hide onions from picky eaters), you can puree the finished soup in a food processor or blender until smooth.
• I personally like to prepare several squash at once and then freeze what I don’t use -then it’s easy to whip out, thaw and throw a batch of soup together in a pinch.
• This soup freezes very well.

Substitutions and Macronutrients

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• You can substitute extra virgin olive oil or clarified butter in place of the coconut oil.
• Plain, unsweetened nut milk (coconut, cashew, almond, etc.) or soy milk will work in place of dairy milk.
• Try 1/2 a cup of vegan cheese in place of the shredded Parmesan or double the amount of nutritional yeast if you don’t consume dairy products.
• Need more cheesy-ness? Feel free to shake up which type of cheese you incorporate and add more if you just need more cheese.
• When making substitutions, just keep in mind that your macro count may slightly vary from this specific recipe. If you’re counting macros, just make sure to adjust the recipe macros in a macro calculator based on the ingredients you use.

MACROS (2 HEAPING SERVINGS):

• Calories: 322.5
• Carbs: 45g
• Fat:  10.5g
• Protein: 16.5g

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Related Soup and Squash Recipes

• French Kale and Onion Soup
• Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup
• Kale and Butternut Squash Salad
• Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad

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All writing and images copyright © 2020 Rachel Elise Weems Woods

Originally published 10-25-15. Updated 12-21-2020.