Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
This roasted butternut squash soup is so easy to make with only 9 ingredients. Full of sweet spicy flavor, with a delightfully creamy texture, this simple and cozy winter warmer might become your new favorite soup!
Ingredients
- olive oil, for roasting
- 800 g (1.5-2 lbs) cubed butternut squash, see notes
- 1.5 tbsp honey
- 1.5 tbsp ras el hanout
- 1 large onion, diced or sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock
- 6 tbsp crème fraiche, sour cream or greek yogurt, optional garnish
- 1 lemon, for juicing
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F / 200C / 180C Fan.
- Scatter the butternut cubes on a baking tray or in a roasting tin, drizzle with oil and toss with a spatula to ensure they are all well coated. Add a little salt and place in the oven for around 20 minutes (fresh) or 30 minutes (frozen). (If you are using a whole squash that you don't want to cut into cubes, note the alternative instructions below in the notes section).800 g cubed butternut squash, olive oil
- Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in your soup pot and saute the onions until soft and just starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then remove from the heat and set aside.1 large onion, 5 cloves garlic
- Once your butternut squash cook time is up, check on it. Cook times can vary a lot depending on the size of your cubes, and the type of bakeware you use, but you will want them to be browned around the edges and soft in the middle. At this point, remove from the oven and drizzle with with honey, sprinkle the ras el hanout over the top, and mix to combine. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, until the spices are fragrant.1.5 tbsp honey, 1.5 tbsp ras el hanout
- Add the roasted butternut squash into the soup pot and give it all a good mix.
- If you're using an immersion blender: Pour the vegetable stock over the top and then puree the soup directly in the pan with the immersion blender. If you added the stock cold, you will need to bring it back up to heat, then allow to simmer until you're ready to serve. If you're using a jug blender: Add the squash and onions to the blender, plus the vegetable stock. If the stock is cold or room temperature, it will be fine to puree immediately. If the stock is hot, you will need to wait for it all to cool down a little. In either case, leave the center cap off the lid of the blender and cover it with a bit of paper towel / kitchen roll. Once pureed, you can then pour it back into the pan and simmer until it is warmed through.1 litre vegetable stock
- Once you're ready to serve, remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the juice of your lemon. Stir.1 lemon
- Serve into bowls and add a spoonful of creme fraiche swirled over the top. You can also garnish with cilantro (coriander), fresh parsley or chives.6 tbsp crème fraiche, sour cream or greek yogurt
Notes
Butternut squash quantity: I used exactly 800g (28oz) for the soup pictured, but in my tests I used squashes that varied in size quite a bit and there is plenty of leeway. Just note that if you're using substantially more or less you should adjust your spice quantity up or down a little, and you may need more or less vegetable stock too.
Alternative instructions if you don't want to chop your squash into cubes: Preheat your oven to 400F / 200C / 180C Fan. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, then brush the exposed flesh with olive oil and place each half facing down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven for about 45-60 minutes until the squash is tender throughout. Leave it to cool, and then you should be able to easily scoop the cooked flesh of the butternut squash out from its skin. Scoop it all into to the pan with the sauteed onions and garlic. Add the honey, ras el hanout and a little glug of olive oil at the same time, and just stir it all through over a low heat until the spices are fragrant and the flavors are all infused into the squash (which will be a little mashed up and messy at this point - that is OK!). Then proceed with the recipe as written from Step 6.
Calories: 180kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 637mg, Potassium: 550mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 14579IU, Vitamin C: 33mg, Calcium: 103mg, Iron: 2mg