Description
A creamy and comforting butternut squash soup made with fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs, and a touch of smoked paprika. This easy-to-make soup is perfect for a cozy meal and can be garnished with cream and fresh herbs for extra richness.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
- 1 large (about 3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8 cups)
- 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (4 cups)
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage, thyme, or rosemary leaves (from about 2 sprigs), plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Heavy cream, crème fraîche, or coconut cream, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté vegetables: Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, peeled and diced carrots, and crushed garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned in spots, about 8 minutes.
- Add squash and broth: Stir in the chopped butternut squash, vegetable broth, finely chopped fresh herbs (sage, thyme, or rosemary), smoked paprika, and kosher salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook until the squash is tender and beginning to fall apart, about 30 minutes.
- Blend the soup: Turn off the heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, blend in batches using a stand blender.
- Season and serve: Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed. Serve drizzled with heavy cream, crème fraîche, or coconut cream if desired, and garnish with more fresh chopped herbs and black pepper.
Notes
- For a vegan version, use olive oil instead of butter and coconut cream for drizzling.
- You can substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth to keep the recipe vegetarian.
- If you don’t have fresh herbs, dried herbs can be used but reduce the quantity by half.
- The soup can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- To add extra flavor, consider roasting the butternut squash before adding it to the soup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
