Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
The first time I made butternut squash soup, my husband took one bite and pushed his bowl away. I, however, at least ate mine. Though it wasn’t very good (shhhh…I told him it tasted fine and to ‘just eat it’!).
I couldn’t let it go though. I knew it was supposed to taste good, and I wanted to really like it. And after a few variations, I finally hit the nail on the head! (we’ve found we really don’t care for the recipes that use apples with the squash) Even my husband liked the taste, though in his words “It needs something. Something to chew“, and proceeded to add broccoli to his. So obviously he isn’t big on blended side soups!
This recipe has become one of our favorites and I make it a couple of times a month during the fall and winter months. I love that that it uses my homemade bone broth (extra nutritious!) and is full of veggies.
This creamy soup is flavorful without overpowering any dish you serve it with. If you prefer a chunkier soup blend only half the soup and add the cream cheese to the blended portion before adding it back to the pot. Add in more broth if you like it thinner.
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 onion small - diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 potatoes medium
- 2 carrots
- 1 butternut squash medium - peeled, seeded, and diced
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper to taste
- 2 cups broccoli optional - cooked
- 1 cup chicken cubed and cooked
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions until soft. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
- Add potatoes, carrots, squash, and broth and simmer for about 30 minutes or until all vegetables are soft.
- Place half of the vegetable mixture and half of the cream cheese into a blender and blend until smooth. (or simply use a stick blender in the pan)
- Finish with the other half of the soup mixture and the rest of the cream cheese.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- If you'd like to make this a main dish soup, simply add cooked broccoli and cooked chicken to the soup after it's been blended.
Nutrition
For a paleo or dairy-free version, skip the cream cheese.
For a vegetarian main dish version, skip the chicken and add one can of chickpeas.
Donielle Baker
I am in Ireland this week and went to a pub (of course) and ordered a squash soup like this one. Only it had a bit of apple cider in it and was topped with a spoonful of creme fraische and a tiny bit of scallions. The apple cider is what made this so incredibly delicious! There was just a hint of sweet apple in the aftertaste that made us smile…and my husband doesn’t like squash! Anyway, just wanted to share the idea with you! Enjoy!
@Shannon Arthur,
Yes, I sometimes make apple-butternut soup, put a couple green apples in with the mix, cook them down and puree them with the squash, it makes it sweeter and more interesting to add another taste. And sour cream works for the creme fraiche, since I’m not in Europe and can’t get the real thing!
Your soup sounds wonderful! I’m trying to incorporate more squash into my family’s diet – ironically my husband and son both love it and I’m the one who isn’t sure! But I do like butternut squash, so your soup is a great place to start. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
This looks so good! I have been making all kinds of squash soups this season! They are so great! My husband especially like when I add crumbled bacon to it! Makes the boys feel like it is more of a meal! 🙂
Just made this (with brocoli) and it is DELISH! Gave a bite to my 9 month old and she keeps begging for more too 🙂
I wish there were “like” buttons on blog comments 😉 I have 2 squash just waiting to be soup! I’ll have to skip the butter (use coconut oil instead) & the cream cheese (perhaps go for the apples & make it closer to the sweet than the savory). I have a pumpkin soup recipe that is similar. You finish it by adding rice (we use brown sprouted) – gives it that something to chew on.
Thank you SOOOOO much for this recipe! It’s easily the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. I just made it last night and threw in a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of allspice (it’s still winter 😀 ). I also went with your husbands ingenious idea to add broccoli (which, in my opinion, is exactly what it needed).
@Jon, So glad you liked it! We made it again last night; it’s a staple recipe in our house.