The Ultimate Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

This is truly the best roasted butternut squash soup you’ll ever taste. It’s incredibly creamy, surprisingly easy to make, and boasts a perfectly balanced flavor profile. Get ready to fall in love with this comforting and delicious soup!

A dear friend, Rachael, shared this delightful soup at our book club gathering, and it was an instant hit! Over the years, I’ve sampled numerous butternut squash soup recipes, often finding them underwhelming. However, this recipe changed everything! The flavor is rich and complex, making it the absolute best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

Key Ingredients for Delicious Butternut Squash Soup

One of the main reasons I adore this butternut squash soup is its harmonious blend of flavors. Butternut squash has a natural sweetness, so it’s essential to balance it with savory elements like salt, a touch of heat, and a creamy texture. Let’s explore the essential ingredients that make this soup shine:

• Butternut Squash: For convenience, pre-cut squash cubes work exceptionally well in this recipe. Alternatively, use one large or two small-to-medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and with the pulp removed. You’ll need approximately 2 pounds or 6 cups of squash cubes.
• Onions: Incorporate two medium-sized onions into this recipe. White, yellow, or red onions are all suitable options. Roasting the onions mellows their pungent flavor, enhancing their sweetness and adding depth to the soup.
• Chicken Bouillon Paste: This ingredient delivers a powerful flavor boost and is crucial for the recipe’s success. I highly recommend using “Better Than Bouillon” brand paste. As a substitute, you can use 2 cups of chicken broth instead of water and bouillon. However, for a more intense savory flavor, consider adding a scoop of bouillon paste or 1 to 2 bouillon cubes. You can substitute 6 bouillon cubes for the 2 tablespoons of bouillon paste.
• Garlic: Use 2 to 3 medium-sized cloves of garlic, finely minced or pressed using a garlic press. Its pungent aroma and flavor will infuse the soup with a subtle warmth.
• Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds a luscious creaminess and a hint of acidity, creating a delightful contrast to the squash’s sweetness. No need to soften the cream cheese beforehand—it will melt seamlessly into the hot soup.
• Milk and Cream: I recommend using 2% or whole milk for this recipe. For an even richer flavor, you can substitute 1 cup of half-and-half for the milk and cream mixture.
• Cayenne Pepper: Don’t skip this ingredient! It may seem counterintuitive, but a pinch of cayenne pepper won’t make the soup spicy. Instead, it will cut through the richness and add a delicious, unexpected layer of flavor.

Of course, we’ll also need a few other common ingredients like water, salt, and pepper. But I trust you can handle sourcing those on your own! 😉

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1. Roast the Vegetables: Toss the squash and onions with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven until lightly caramelized and golden brown.
2. Combine and Simmer: Transfer the roasted squash and onions to a soup pot. Add water, bouillon, and garlic. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
3. Melt the Cream Cheese: Stir in the cream cheese and allow it to melt into the hot soup for a few minutes, creating a creamy base.
4. Puree the Soup: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth and velvety. Alternatively, carefully ladle the soup into a regular blender, ensuring to vent the lid to release steam.
5. Season to Perfection: Stir in cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. This step is crucial for achieving the perfect flavor balance.
6. Serve and Enjoy: Serve the soup warm, garnished with cooked, crumbled bacon for an extra touch of decadence.

This recipe yields a moderate amount of soup. Feel free to double the ingredients for larger gatherings or to have leftovers for later.

Confession time: I haven’t always been a fan of butternut squash soup. But this roasted version has completely changed my perspective!

Let’s just say I might have slightly embarrassed myself when Rachael served this at book club, practically begging for the recipe after going back for seconds (and thirds!). But honestly, everyone else was raving about it too!

My family absolutely loved this soup when I made it for them, and I’m thrilled to finally have a butternut squash soup recipe that’s worthy of passing down through the generations. This one’s a keeper!

The Best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Rating: 4.34 stars (3 ratings)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds butternut squash cubes (see note)
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon paste (see note)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup milk (I use 2%)
• ½ cup heavy cream (see note)
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more, to taste
• Optional: cooked, crumbled bacon for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Scatter butternut squash cubes and onions evenly over a half sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss lightly. Roast for 1 hour, or until the squash and onions are tender and golden.
3. Scrape the squash/onion mixture into a 4-quart pot. Add the water, bouillon, and garlic. Bring to a simmer.
4. Stir the cream cheese cubes into the soup. Turn the heat off and let the cream cheese melt, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the milk and cream and stir to combine.
6. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, be sure to vent the lid to let steam escape.
7. Return the soup to medium-low heat. Stir in the cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and additional cayenne pepper to taste.
8. Serve warm with crumbled, cooked bacon on top, if desired. The soup will thicken a bit as it cools.

Notes

• Butternut Squash: Pre-packaged squash cubes are convenient. Costco and Sam’s Club sell 2-pound containers. One large or two small-medium squash, peeled and seeded, yields 2 pounds/6 cups.
• Bouillon: I use Better Than Bouillon paste. You can sub 2 cups chicken broth in place of the water + bouillon; however, I still recommend adding a scoop of bouillon paste or 1 to 2 bouillon cubes. You can sub in six bouillon cubes for the 2 tablespoons bouillon paste.
• Milk + Heavy Cream: One cup of half-and-half can be subbed in for the milk and heavy cream.

Author: Mel Gunnell

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Method: Oven, Stovetop

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

• Serving: 1 serving (about 1 1/4 cups soup)
• Calories: 344 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 30g
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 24g
• Saturated Fat: 13g
• Cholesterol: 64mg
• Sodium: 849mg
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 9g

Recommended Products

• Cookie Sheet {Half Sheet Pan}
• Immersion Blender
• Ladle

Recipe Source: Inspired by a recipe my friend, Rachael, brought to book club – from her friend Kat F. – I changed up the cooking method substantially and varied the ingredient amounts, reducing the cream cheese just a bit, adding garlic, giving exact amounts for estimated ingredients, etc