Acorn Squash Soup

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup is smooth and velvety, packed with veggies, and loaded with fall flavor. The star of the show, acorn squash, is roasted, incorporated with other vegetables and seasoning, and blended into a lush, creamy squash soup.

Plus, its easy to make with about 10 minutes of actual prep time. It’s the perfect soup for the cooler weather in the fall and winter. Serve on any day of the week for a cozy lunch or dinner, or as a first course on special occasions like Thanksgiving.

Why You'll Love Acorn Squash Soup

• Easy to make. It takes around an hour and a half to make this rich soup, but most of it is cooking time — the bulk of it is spent waiting for the squash to roast. In fact, it only takes about 10 minutes of active prep time, so you can multitask and move on to preparing other dishes while you’re waiting. It’s worth the wait!
• Packed with vegetables. It’s rich, creamy, and nutritious! This acorn squash soup contains several different kinds of vegetables — squash, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic — and is bursting with roasted flavor.
• Great for all occasions. This fall soup with squash is perfect for all kinds of autumn celebrations (like Thanksgiving, potlucks, fall birthdays, or fall dinner parties) and casual meals at home.
• Naturally gluten free and vegetarian. This fall soup with squash doesn’t include any wheat-based ingredients that would contain gluten, and the only animal product called for is half and half. It can easily be swapped (see below) to make the soup vegan-friendly instead!

Ingredient Notes

To make this easy Acorn Squash Soup, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• acorn squash - acorn squash are the namesake of this recipe, but if you’d like to experiment, you can also try making variations of this soup using butternut squash, honeynut squash, buttercup squash, or pumpkin. You’ll have to adjust the quantities and the cooking times to ensure a similar result.
• olive oil - this can be swapped for avocado oil, coconut oil, butter, or ghee if needed.
• salt and pepper
• onion - shallots would also work in this recipe.
• carrots
• celery
• garlic - freshly minced garlic is always best for fresh flavor, but if you’re short on time, you can use pre-minced garlic.
• vegetable stock - using vegetable stock keeps this soup vegetarian-friendly, but you can substitute it for chicken stock, beef stock, or bone broth if you prefer any of those.
• sage - this recipe calls for whole sage leaves but if you can't find them, you can use dried sage.
• thyme - dried thyme can also also acceptable, though you may need to skim out the leaves if they aren’t crushed.
• rosemary - fresh rosemary will give the soup the best flavor and is easier to remove before blending. If you choose to use dried rosemary, you can try to skim it out of the soup between simmering and blending, if you want a silky smooth soup.
• half and half - canned coconut milk would be a vegan-friendly replacement for the half and half.

Optional Ingredients

You can adjust the flavor to your liking by adding some extra seasoning such as:

• honey - 2 tablespoons of honey adds a little sweetness that complements the squash
• red pepper powder - ¼ teaspoon red pepper powder instead adds a kick that also compliments the squash well. Don’t add both honey and red pepper powder.
• cinnamon - you can also add in ½ teaspoon cinnamon for flavor.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a half sheet baking pan, 6 qt. Dutch oven, and an immersion blender, food processor, or stand-up blender.

How to Make the Best Acorn Squash Soup

1. Roast acorn squash. Preheat oven to 400F. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Line a rimmed half sheet baking pan with parchment paper and place the squash halves cut side up on the sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 40-50 minutes until edges start to wrinkle and the flesh is fork tender (fork is easily inserted). Set aside to cool until cool enough to handle.

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2. Scoop out flesh. Then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and set aside in a bowl.

3. Sauté veggies. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and saute until veggies start to brown, about 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

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4. Add squash. Add one cup of stock and stir to remove any caramelized onions that may have stuck to the bottom or sides of the pot. Then, add in the reserved flesh and stir until dissolved into the stock.
5. Add stock and herbs. Add remaining stock, sage leaves, springs or thyme and rosemary. Stir to combine and bring the soup to a simmer. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the lid. Allow the soup to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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6. Puree. Remove the thyme springs and rosemary and discard. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. You can also transfer the soup (in batches) to a blender to puree.
7. Add cream. Turn the heat off and stir in the cream. Add more or less based on how creamy you want your soup. Give the soup a taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

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8. Serve. Serve with your favorite toppings such as croutons, fresh herbs, a drizzle of cream, pumpkin seeds, or grated Parmesan, if desired.

How to Serve

Acorn Squash soup is delicious served on its own, or paired with some of my favorite fall sides including:

• Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
• Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese
• Garlic Breadsticks
• Apple and Arugula Salad
• Potato Dinner Rolls
• Buffalo Turkey Wraps

Storage and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Once cooled to room temperature, transfer any leftover acorn squash soup to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If finishing within a day or 2, you can also keep it stored in the pot, covered with the lid.

How to Reheat

To reheat, transfer the soup to a cooking pot and heat over medium-heat until warmed through. You can also transfer to a heat-safe dish and bring it up to the desired temperature in the microwave.

How to Freeze

Transfer to a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge one to two days before you want to use the leftovers and reheat. You can also reheat straight from frozen in a crockpot or on the stovetop, but you’ll have to use a warm water bath to release the frozen soup from the container first.

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