For many, fall is the season for pumpkin spice-flavored everything. For me, the fall season is all about butternut squash. Chock-full of health-promoting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, butternut squash itself is an excellent immunity-boosting food.
Honestly, on a crisp fall evening in Georgia, there’s absolutely nothing better than cozying up with a warm bowl of butternut squash soup. Besides being the perfect comfort food, when prepared with the right ingredients, it’s actually quite the nutritional powerhouse.
My Special Blend
At least once a week, I make a vegan-friendly, gluten-free butternut squash soup that’s downright craveable. It’s super simple to make and includes:
Butternut squash (of course) – The taste and texture of cooked butternut squash is similar to that of sweet potato but it’s a bit softer with more of an earthy, nutty flavor.
Yellow onion – Along with red onions, yellow onions contain more antioxidants than other types. They also become increasingly sweeter when cooked, making them among the best all-around flavor enhancers.
Carrots – In addition to their rich content of disease-fighting carotenoid phytonutrients, carrots have an earthy, almost woodsy flavor profile that plays well with the squash and other ingredients.
Celery – With its strong, salty bite, celery adds great flavor depth to the recipe.
Extra-virgin olive oil – Sautéing the vegetable ingredients in extra–virgin olive oil really helps bring out their flavors. It can also mask some of the bitter tastes many people hate.
Granny Smith apples – Though Granny Smith apples are naturally tart, once cooked they meld perfectly with all the sweet ingredients.
Vegetable broth – Along with the veggies, fruit and other ingredients, using vegetable broth makes this recipe 100% vegan. If it doesn’t matter, chicken broth will also do the trick.
An earthy seasoning blend – Finally, I round out the recipe with pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon and paprika along with a little kosher salt and ground pepper. For a spicy kick, I sometimes use cayenne pepper too.
Take a Stab at It
Check out the following recipe card and take a stab at my “Rich and Creamy Butternut Squash Soup.” If you like it, drop a comment below and tag pics on Instagram with @thatsaladlady, #thatsaladlady and #buildyourbowl. If you love it, pin it on Pinterest and share it on Facebook and Twitter using #thatsaladlady.
Rich and Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Course: Appetizers, MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Moderate6
servings20
minutes35
minutes190
kcal55
minutesOn a crisp fall evening, there’s nothing better than cozying up with a warm bowl of butternut squash soup. This recipe won’t disappoint!
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, seeded, peeled and chopped (6-8 cups)
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2-3 carrots, chopped (about 1 1/2 cup)*
2-3 celery ribs, chopped (about 1 1/2 cup)*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large or 2 small Granny Smith apples
4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth works too)
1 cup water, as needed for desired texture
Pinch nutmeg, or to taste
Pinch cinnamon, or to taste
Pinch sweet or smoked paprika, or to taste
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Sauté the Veggies
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat if the veggies start to turn brown.
- Boil the Soup
- Add the butternut squash, apple, broth and water to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes or until the squash and carrots have softened.
- Purée the Blend
- Blend the soup in batches using a blender set to “purée” or a similar setting. I use the “hot soups” setting on my Vitamix.
- You can also use an immersion blender if you have one.
- The longer you blend, the smoother your soup will be. I prefer my soup with a bit of texture so my blending time could easily be shorter than yours.
- Add Finishing Touches
- Add pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon and paprika to taste. I sometimes add a little cayenne pepper for a spicy kick.
- Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish your soup with freshly chopped parsley or even a little Greek yogurt for a touch of creamy tang.
Recipe Video
Notes
- *Some butternut squash soups can taste too sweet, so I generally recommend adding more or less carrots and celery to achieve your desired level of sweetness.
- Depending on your eating style, you can double your portions and eat less or store the soup in the fridge and eat multiple bowls over the course of multiple days.
- In an airtight sealed container, this butternut squash soup will keep for 3-5 days.
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