Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter salted
- ½ cup onions chopped
- 3 cups butternut squash cubed
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp ginger
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Add the cubed butternut squash, minced garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the low sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes until the squash is completely tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender blend the soup directly in the pot until completely smooth and creamy with no chunks remaining. If you do not have an immersion blender carefully transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender, hold the lid down with a folded towel, and blend until smooth then return to the pot.
- Return the pot to medium high heat and cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened slightly and reached your desired consistency.
- Season with salt and black pepper, taste and adjust as needed, then ladle into bowls and serve hot.
Nutrition
This butternut squash soup is warm, slightly sweet, deeply savory, and creamy in a way that feels indulgent even though it is actually quite light.
This version comes together in 40 minutes with a short ingredient list and produces a soup that tastes like it has been simmering far longer than it has.
Two servings at 195 calories each. One pot. An immersion blender. That is the whole situation.
The ginger is the ingredient that makes this version worth making over a standard butternut squash soup recipe. It adds a little warmth and brightness.
What Makes This Work
Building the flavor base properly before the broth goes in is what separates a good blended soup from a great one. Cooking the onion until soft, then adding the squash, garlic, and ginger and giving them a minute in the butter before the liquid goes in, creates a depth of flavor that you simply cannot get by throwing everything in at once and boiling it.
The second cook after blending is worth the extra time. Once the soup is blended smooth it goes back on the heat for another 7 to 10 minutes, which allows it to thicken slightly and concentrate the flavors in a way that makes the finished soup taste more complex and satisfying.
Using low sodium chicken broth keeps the sodium in check and lets you control the seasoning yourself at the end. Always taste before adding the full amount of salt since the broth already contributes some sodium to the finished soup.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Peeling and cubing a raw butternut squash takes about 15 minutes and requires a sharp knife and a stable cutting surface. If you want to save time, most grocery stores sell pre-cubed butternut squash in the produce section or frozen section. Either works perfectly in this recipe and cuts the prep time significantly.
Make sure the squash is completely tender before you blend. If there is any resistance when you pierce a cube with a fork the soup will not blend smoothly and you will end up with a grainy texture instead of the silky consistency you are going for. Give it the full 10 minutes at a steady simmer and check before pulling it off the heat.
If you are using a regular blender instead of an immersion blender let the soup cool for a few minutes first. Hot liquid expands in a blender and can force the lid off if you are not careful. Fill the blender only halfway, hold the lid down firmly with a folded towel, and blend in batches.
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, or in the microwave in a covered bowl. This soup also freezes well for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently, adding a small splash of broth if it has thickened too much during storage.
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