This butternut squash soup is so simple but bursting with flavor. The naturally sweet squash with savory ingredients is a perfect combination.
The only difficult part is peeling and cutting the squash. Once that part is done, it’s all down hill from there. The blender does a lot of the work, so chopping and cutting is kept to a minimum.
When I cook, I like to multi-task so that I can get to the part where I get to eat, more quickly! So follow these steps and making this soup will happen quicker than you think.
Her’s how I get the butternut squash from whole to cubes without too much trouble.
Butternut Squash
Some markets carry peeled and cut butternut squash. This is a great time-saver but I find that it can be pretty expensive. It takes a couple of minutes but this is the most efficient way I’ve found to do it yourself:
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. I find it easiest to hug the squash so that I can use enough pressure for the tough skin.
Peel down to the bright orange flesh
Peel the bottom
Trim the top and bottom to create flat surfaces
Cut in half lengthwise, top to bottom
Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. The seed pod is slimy, so scrape all the way down to the firm flesh and it will come out much easier.
This was a 1 1/4 lb squash (on the small side), so I just cut off the rounded part on the bottom. The remaining large piece was about 1″ thick. If you have a larger squash you may want to cut it in half (top to bottom) to make the slabs about 1″ thick.
Cut into approximately 1″ strips then cut across into cubes.
Ingredients
I have kept the ingredients list to a minimum for this butternut squash soup. The squash provides sweetness and creaminess so just a little bit of savory will balance it perfectly. A bay leaf, a stalk of celery and a half an onion will create that savory soup flavor.
This soup can easily be made vegan by omitting the butter and using a vegan broth. Imagine Foods “No-Chicken” broth is an excellent vegan broth. It’s the only one I use. Most other vegetable/vegan broths taste a lot like carrots which I don’t like for a soup.
Top this soup with some shaved parmesan cheese or these awesome gluten-free croutons (or both) for a hearty meal.
Butternut Squash Soup
This butternut squash soup is sweet and savory and naturally creamy.
Ingredients
- 1Β½ lbs butternut squash
- Β½ medium sized onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 3-4 cups low sodium vegetable broth*
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tbsps butter (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Oven cooking option
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Peel and cut the butternut squash into 1" cubes.
- Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp oil.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.
- Meanwhile, dice the onion and celery. They don't have to be finely chopped because the blender will puree them later on.
- Cook, stirring often, in a medium sized pot with a light coating of oil over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent - about 8 minutes. Do not brown them. If the onions start to brown, lower the heat
- Add the broth and bay leaf and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
- Remove the center piece from the lid of your blender. Steam needs to escape or you will have a soup explosion! Lay a towel over the hole in the lid to prevent splashing.
- Place the butter (optional), broth mixture and cooked squash into the blender. You may need to do it in 2 batches.
- Blend on high until it is smooth.
- If the soup is too thick, add broth 1/4 cup at a time until it is the right consistency.
- Start by adding 1/2 tsp salt and a couple of pinches of pepper. Stir and taste. If needed, add salt a couple of pinches at a time until you like the flavor.
Notes
Imagine Low-Sodium "No Chicken" Broth is the best vegan broth available.
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