Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I love everything about this time of year. I love the fashion (the scarfs, gloves and hats), I love the outdoors (the red and orange falling leaves and the snow-capped mountains), and I love all the seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs. Pumpkins, squash, yams, thyme, rosemary and sage.... Need I say more? If I could give the holidays a "taste", a spoon of this roasted butternut squash soup would pretty much be that "taste".

This post was first published in 2015 and has become the most popular soup recipe that has been pinned on Pinterest ever, and for good reason. It is packed with butternut squash, gets some sweetness from the carrots, and it’s got a bite from the cayenne powder. It’s just all around comfort food... without the guilt. That's right, this soup is super healthy. It's vegan, gluten-free and whole 30 compliant. Which also means that there is no cream, no milk, no butter! Yet this soup has a very creamy and smooth texture from the butternut squash and is not lacking in any flavor. You really can't get any healthier than that.

The first year that I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house, one of our guests was allergic to dairy. So, I had to come up to with alternative recipes to my usual dishes, including the whole roast turkey (usually doused in butter), creamy mashed potatoes (full of dairy goodness), sautéed garlic green beans (also in butter) and of course, roasted butternut squash soup. For the soup, I decided to make it without butter and cream and see what happens. Well, what happened was quite amazing. The soup turned out absolutely delicious, if not tastier.

Ingredients

To make this easy roasted butternut squash soup, you will need to gather the following simple ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• butternut squash
• carrots - adds natural sweetness.
• celery
• onion
• garlic - for the best and most potent flavor, use real cloves garlic. You can also substitute with 2 tablespoons garlic powder for a similar taste.
• fresh herbs - sage, thyme, and rosemary. I used fresh herbs, but you can substitute with dry herbs. I would use half the amount if using dry herbs. (You can use 1 teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon dried thyme and ½ teaspoon dried rosemary).
• cayenne red pepper powder - you can leave out cayenne pepper if you don't want it with a kick.
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• vegetable stock - use vegetable broth to keep the soup vegan or use chicken stock if you don't have a dietary preference.

You will also need a large half sheet baking pan, food processor or heavy duty blender, and a large cooking pot or 4 quart Dutch oven.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Video

This soup is super easy to make. All you have to do is literally throw your ingredients into a roasting pan, let the oven do its work, then puree and serve. Yes, it is that easy. Watch the recipe video below for a quick one-minute demonstration, and follow along the instructions below.

How to Make the Best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1. Prep the vegetables: Peel, pit and chop the butternut squash into 1 inch squares. Chop the carrots, celery and onions in big chunks. Peel the garlic keep the cloves whole or halved. Add everything into a large half sheet baking pan.
2. Season the vegetables: Add the herbs with stems removed (it will be easier to puree later if stems are removed, especially for the thyme), red pepper powder, salt and pepper. Add olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Roast the vegetables: Roast for 1 hour in a preheated 350 F oven, until veggies are soft and fork tender. To check if fork tender, insert a fork into the vegetable. If it comes out easily, then it is fork tender and done. You will want to check the carrots in particular, as they may take the longest to cook. If the vegetables are not soft and fork tender, then cook for another 15 minutes. Keep checking every 15 minutes.

1. Puree the vegetables: Transfer cooked vegetables to a food processor or heavy duty blender with 1 cup of vegetable stock and puree until smooth and creamy, or until desired consistency is reached. You may need to do this in a couple batches. You can also blend the soup directly in the pot using an immersion blender.

1. Simmer: Pour the mixture into a large cooking pot. Add the remaining vegetable stock and stir well. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. If the consistency of the soup is too thick, just thin it out with some water until you reach your desired consistency.
2. Serve: Garnish with extra fresh herbs and chopped nuts (or pumpkin seeds) on top, and a drizzle of cream or dollop of sour cream on top (optional) and serve.

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions for Making Butternut Squash Soup

Can I make this soup ahead of time? Absolutely. This is one of the reasons that I love this roasted butternut squash soup so much, and why it's such a great choice to make on a holiday dinner. You can make it ahead in one of two ways:

1. Make the entire soup ahead of time: Make the entire butternut soup a day or two ahead of time and easily reheat it later on the stove over medium-low heat. The soup may thicken a bit after being refrigerated, so if it is still too thick after reheating, just add in a little water to thin it out to the consistency that you like.
2. Roast the vegetables in advance: You can roast the vegetables up to a day ahead, allow them to cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Then, when you are ready to make the soup, puree the vegetables and make the soup as per recipe instructions.

How do I store this soup? You can easily store this easy butternut squash soup by placing the pot with the lid in the refrigerator, or transferring the soup to an airtight container. It will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze butternut squash soup? Yes, this easy butternut squash soup recipe freezes beautifully. So, if you can't finish it all (since this recipe yields a large pot of soup), just freeze it for later. To freeze, transfer soup to an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or place on the counter and let it thaw at room temperature. Then, reheat on the stove over medium-low heat. It's so convenient on a lazy fall or winter evening.

How can I customize this soup? There are many ways to customize this soup. You can sweeten it with maple syrup and make it creamy (yet still vegan) with coconut milk as in 30-minute butternut squash soup, you can add apples as in butternut squash and apple soup, or you could add in cauliflower when roasting the vegetables and make roasted butternut squash and cauliflower soup. You could also add in cinnamon or curry powder for a different flavor.

How to Serve Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Serve this roasted butternut squash soup as a starter in your Thanksgiving dinner table, or on any day that you are craving a warm and cozy bowl of fall or winter soup with a side homemade bread for dipping. My favourite bread to pair with this are:

• Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread
• Small Batch Ciabatta Bread
• Crusty Small Batch No Knead Bread 
• Small Batch Sourdough Bread
• Green Onion Dinner Rolls
• Easy Homemade Biscuits

More Soup Recipes

• Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Soup
• Creamy Tomato Potato Soup
• Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Toasted Croutons
• Creamy Cauliflower and Garlic Soup
• 30-Minute Butternut Squash Soup
• Creamy Mexican Corn Soup
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup

This easy roasted butternut squash soup forms a part of my 25 warm and cozy fall soup recipes. Follow the link to check out all of my 25 fall favourite soups.

This post was originally published in December 2015. It has been completely updated with more photographs, recipe video, and helpful tips.

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