This recipe has been a favorite of ours for over a decade. Both of our kids love it too,
which is always a bonus, and fall is of course the perfect time of year to cook with winter squash since it’s currently so fresh and readily available (at least here in North Carolina). I am personally trying to get better at using foods when they are in season and preserving them for later in the year, and this soup freezes beautifully so it is worth it to double or triple the recipe.
This dish would also be a great starter for all those upcoming holiday dinners. One year my husband and I outdid ourselves by serving this soup in a scooped out acorn squash “bowl.” That was long before kids (and food blogs) when we had a little more time on our hands, but it sure was fun to “wow” our guests back in our adventurous days in the kitchen. No matter what you decide to do with this dish though I assure you that you can’t go wrong because it is delish!
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash, or other winter squash
- 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 leeks, white part only cleaned thoroughly and chopped (you could substitute one onion for the leeks if you prefer)
- 4 teaspoons ginger, fresh peeled and minced
- 5 cups chicken broth, homemade stock is easy and highly recommended
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt, if using salted store-bought chicken broth then taste the soup before adding any salt
- pistachios, chopped, and/or fresh sage (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice the squash in half long ways and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet. If you line the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper the clean up will be easier.
- Bake for 30 – 45 minutes or until the thick part of the squash can easily be pierced with a fork. Let cool then scoop out the pulp and discard the skin.
- Note: This step can be done in advance.
- In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped leeks and ginger. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes until tender, but not browned.
Add the squash pulp to the pot along with the 5 cups of chicken stock (I recommend homemade). Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with the back of your spoon, for 10 – 15 minutes.
Puree the soup either with a hand immersion blender or in a counter top blender. I highly recommend a hand immersion blender if you like to make soups because you’ll end up with a lot fewer dirty dishes.
- After the soup has been pureed, stir in the cream and salt (to taste).
- Ladle into soup bowls and serve warm topped with chopped sage and pistachios.
Refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.
Recipe Notes
* Omit optional pistachios to make nut-free.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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This was so delicious! How come I’d never tried butternut squash before? I’m going to cook it again soon. Thanks for this recipe!
This was okay, though a bit heavy on the leek flavor. We’ve tried other butternut soup recipes that we like more, so won’t use this one again.
That’s so cool and yummy!
Cooking is my hobby and I am going to try this out this in the weekend.
Thank you!
Max
Just made my winter even better. Thanks for sharing :)
Love this soup!! So easy and so good!
Hi! I was wondering if it’s possible to make this with coconut milk instead of heavy cream? Just looking for some alternate options (I keep hearing so many differing opinions about if dairy is o.k. for certain diets).
Hello. While we have not used coconut milk in this recipe, it should work. I’ve made a curried version of a very similar recipe with coconut milk.
Looks good. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Just perfect for chill winter night, I m trying it soon.
My very picky 3 1/2 year old wasn’t a huge fan, but my husband and I really enjoyed it.
The biggest fan was my 20 month old though. By the end she was licking the bowl! We’ll definitely make it again, and hope to convert the picky eater soon too.
I had never tried butternut squash soup before. No one in my family cared for it, but I am not sure it is the recipes fault.
Hi, I am making this soup for the first time, and I know that I will freeze some of it. My question is whether I can add the heavy cream before freezing? I know milk products usually don’t freeze well. TIA
Hi. You can or you can reserve it. Sometimes the cream will curdle when reheating from freezer but you can reconstitute it easily with a immersion blender.
This is YUMMY. I don’t follow it exactly, but close enough. Made it twice in the last two weeks.
Just made this soup. I love it. Will definitely be a staple of ours. Thanks
I found a whole raw squash very hard to cut open, but then I found a cookbook with the following: put a 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the crockpot and add the whole squash. Cover tightly and cook on low for 7-9 hours, until a skewer goes in easily. Let it cool, cut it in half and do your scooping. Worked like a charm and I continued on with your recipe instead of theirs that wanted me to add brown sugar.
I made this yesterday for the first time, and it is FANTASTIC! My husband liked it too. I’m always surprised at how easy “real food” can be if I just plan! Love this recipe!!
Hi there. Butternut squash is by nature sweet. You could try to add some heat or chipotle seasoning to add some complexity.
I tried this yesterday and it came out pretty good except that my family found the soup to be a little too sweet. Any suggestions for how I can change the recipe so that its not so sweet?
I have to try this recipe. My Family is a soups lovers!