Butternut squash is such a lovely squash. It’s simple to prepare, needs little adornment, and totally delicious. The gorgeous orange color is a celebration of sorts of the glory of autumn. I like it in soup.
This soup features butternut squash in a top 8 free, vegan way. It’s a savory soup with just a touch heat and natural sweetness from the squash itself.
We’ll start by chopping a butternut squash in half. Make sure to use a sturdy knife!
Roast the squash until soft. Scoop all of the flesh out into a small bowl.
Now we’re ready to get this soup going!
Savory Butternut Soup
Yield – 6 servings
Preparation Time – 20 hour
Cooking Time – 75 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (2 cups roasted)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons dairy free margarine or oil
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 medium russet potato, cooked
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and oil a baking sheet
- Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place cut side up on the baking sheet.
- Pierce the flesh of the squash a few times with a fork or knife.
- Roast squash for 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool until you can handle it.
- Scoop the flesh of the squash out of the skin and reserve.
- In a dutch oven saute the onion and garlic in the dairy free margarine on medium heat until soft and lightly golden in color.
- Slowly add in the vegetable stock and remaining ingredients.
- Mash them up a little in the pot to combine. You will have lumps at this point and it will not be perfect. Don’t worry, we’ll make it all smooth in just a bit.
- Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- To smooth out the soup pour it into a blender and blend on low until it’s the consistency you’d like.
- Enjoy!
We make a slightly different version (add a little spice (chili peppers) and heavy cream—but I’ve also made it vegan. Basically, I love this soup! It’s simple and everyone we’ve ever served it to has loved it.
Here’s what we do to make things easier on ourselves. I’ll generally make baked potatoes the night before and throw in a couple of extra potatoes for the soup . The potatoes are “cooked in their jackets” rather than wrapped in foil so they come out dry and fluffy (even though the soup is puréed, the texture of the potato affects the soup…IMHO). Just wash, dry, and coat potatoes with good olive oil—the oil will soak in and enhance the flavor of the potato. One hour at 400°F and you’ve got extra flavor.
We treat the butternut squash the same way. Wash, dry, and coat in olive oil then set it on the baking sheet whole. About halfway through the bake time, take the butternut squash out and cut it. By then, the skin is easy to pierce and the seeds are easily scooped out. Return to oven and finish baking.