Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup
2013 – Gluten Free Living
Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup is a fabulous tasting soup. It has a creamy texture and has the wonderfully sweet flavors of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and apples, and the savory flavors of thyme, onions, garlic, leeks, and sage to offset each other. Add the pungency of apple cider vinegar and the heat of cayenne pepper and you have a delicious and amazing soup on your hands.
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I love soups made with butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes. They add such a rich flavor and texture to soups. This one, made with butternut squash, has a nice rich flavor and a wonderfully pureed texture. The seasonings work together marvelously.
When I created this soup, I knew basically what I wanted and what I didn’t want to include in the soup. I didn’t want a curried soup, nor did I want simply a sweet soup. Most soups are either sweet or savory but not both. I wanted both.
If you’re looking for a delicious butternut squash soup recipe that’s healthy, low calorie, gluten free and vegan, consider adding Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup to your repertoire. Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup is a great soup for cold winter nights and a fabulous comfort food for whatever ails ya!
When I initially posted this recipe in January 2013, I was still taking pictures with my iPhone. The pictures were okay but nothing to write home about. I decided to remake this recipe (January 2017), get some new pictures, and changed the recipe up a bit in the process.
While I kept the basic recipe in tact, I omitted the yogurt in the soup and on top as a garnish. I made the soup completely vegan and it was wonderful. I tried it about four different ways: with cinnamon sprinkled on top, with just thyme, with pumpkin seeds and fresh thyme, and with thyme, pumpkin seeds and Homemade Gluten Free Croutons.
Without a doubt, my favorite way to eat this was garnished with thyme, pumpkin seeds and the homemade croutons! The soup was sensational this way because the thyme in the croutons and the soup added spectacular flavor.
I served this delicious soup four ways: with a sprinkle of cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, Homemade Gluten Free Croutons and some fresh thyme. Every way was perfect. But I loved it with the croutons, thyme and pumpkin seeds the best.
This soup was simply amazing. I loved the texture and the taste. The addition of cinnamon and fresh thyme on top really increased the flavor of this wonderful soup.
I love fresh thyme in recipes–especially soups and casseroles. It adds such a distinctive taste. The cayenne pepper was not overwhelming but enough to give it a very delicate kick. This is a simply wonderful soup your whole family will love. I loved the taste of sage.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients, except I skipped the Greek yogurt.
Roast two large butternut squash in the oven at 400 for about an hour or an hour and 30 minutes. Peel the butternut squash and removed all the seeds. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to make the soup.
In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, add olive oil. Add carrots, leeks, apples and red onions and begin sauteing.
Add minced garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cayenne pepper.
Add fresh thyme, sea salt and sage and stir to combine.
Saute fruit and veggies for about 10 minutes.
Add about 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar, 2 quarts vegetable broth and 3 bay leaves. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add butternut squash, being careful not to crush the bay leaves. Heat until well blended. Remove bay leaves.
With an immersion blender puree soup until smooth.
The cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg add great flavors to this Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup. Here, I’ve garnished the soup with pumpkin seeds and Homemade Gluten Free Croutons.
Every bite was wonderful. I loved the addition of thyme, croutons and pumpkin seeds. It just added to the sweet and savory essence of this soup. Snipped chives, sliced green onions or even a little sprinkling of cayenne pepper would be an excellent garnish as well.
Here’s the recipe.
SWEET AND SAVORY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
(My own concoction)
Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- 1 large roasting pan to bake the butternut squash
- 1 large stock pot
- 1 sharp knife to cut and slice vegetables and fruit
- 1 immersion blender or regular blender
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 soup ladle
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 7 lbs. butternut squash two really large butternut squash
- 3 large gala apples UNPEELED, cored, diced (peel if desired, but I like the apples unpeeled to add extra fiber)
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 cup red onions diced
- 1 leek green top removed, washed thoroughly and sliced
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 64 oz. container vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. dried sage leaves or 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. pink Himalayan sea salt or kosher salt
- 6-8 dashes cayenne pepper less than 1/8 tsp.
- 5 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
- 1 tsp. snipped chives for garnish, as desired
- 1 green onion sliced, for garnish, if desired
- 1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme for garnish, if desired
- 1 tsp. cinnamon for garnish, as desired
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds for garnish, as desired
- Homemade Gluten Free Croutons for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- Bake butternut squash in 400 degree oven until done – about 1 ½ hours. Cool.
- Peel, remove seeds, cut in chunks and set aside.
- In large stock pot add about 5 tbsp. olive oil, add apples, carrots, leeks and onions and begin sautéing.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and garlic.
- Stir to combine and continue sautéing.
- Add sea salt, cayenne pepper, thyme and sage.
- Sauté about 10 minutes.
- Add apple cider vinegar, vegetable broth, and bay leaves.
- Stir to combine and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add butternut squash and stir carefully so you don’t break up the bay leaves.
- Simmer until heated through and flavors are well blended.
- Remove from heat.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Blend in multiple batches in blender or use immersion blender (be careful not to burn yourself with hot soup mixture.
- Serve in bowls with sprinkles of cinnamon or fresh thyme, pumpkin seeds and Homemade Gluten Free Croutons for garnish.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 2 very large butternut squash – about 5-7 lbs.
- 3 Gala apples, UNPEELED, cored, diced (peel if desired, but I like the apples unpeeled to add extra fiber)
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup red onions, diced
- 1 leek, green top removed, sliced (I had to omit this because I didn’t have any)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 32-oz. containers vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ginger
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ cup fresh sage leaves, chopped or ¾ tsp. dry sage (I would probably increase this to a full teaspoon next time)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 heaping tsp. minced garlic from a jar
- 2 cups Chobani vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- about 6-8 dashes cayenne pepper (less than 1/8 tsp.)
- 5 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
- Chobani vanilla Greek yogurt for garnish
- snipped chives, green onions or thyme for garnish
- cinnamon for garnish
- Bake butternut squash in 350 oven until done – about 1 ½ hours. Cool.
- Peel, remove seeds, mash with potato masher and set aside.
- In large stock pot add about 5 tbsp. olive oil, add apples, carrots, leeks (if using) and onions and begin sautéing.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and garlic.
- Stir to combine and continue sautéing.
- Add salt, cayenne pepper, thyme and sage.
- Sauté about 10 minutes.
- Add apple cider vinegar, vegetable broth, and bay leaves.
- Stir to combine.
- Add butternut squash and stir carefully so you don’t break up the bay leaves.
- Simmer for about 30 minutes until flavors are well blended.
- Remove from heat.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Blend in multiple batches in blender or use immersion blender (be careful not to burn yourself with hot soup mixture.
- Add yogurt and stir well to combine.
- Serve in bowls with dollops of yogurt and sprinkles of cinnamon and chives, green onions, and/or thyme for garnish.
Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup is so yummy. You’re family will love this fantastic soup.
Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup is a delicious bisque-type soup that’s healthy as well as being tasty. It’s thick, hearty, fully satisfying and vegan!
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Curried Apple and Acorn Squash Soup
Butternut Squash-Bartlett Pear Soup
Spicy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- 1 large roasting pan to bake the butternut squash
- 1 large stock pot
- 1 sharp knife to cut and slice vegetables and fruit
- 1 immersion blender or regular blender
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 soup ladle
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 7 lbs. butternut squash two really large butternut squash
- 3 large gala apples UNPEELED, cored, diced (peel if desired, but I like the apples unpeeled to add extra fiber)
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 cup red onions diced
- 1 leek green top removed, washed thoroughly and sliced
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 64 oz. container vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. dried sage leaves or 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. pink Himalayan sea salt or kosher salt
- 6-8 dashes cayenne pepper less than 1/8 tsp.
- 5 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
- 1 tsp. snipped chives for garnish, as desired
- 1 green onion sliced, for garnish, if desired
- 1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme for garnish, if desired
- 1 tsp. cinnamon for garnish, as desired
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds for garnish, as desired
- Homemade Gluten Free Croutons for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- Bake butternut squash in 400 degree oven until done – about 1 ½ hours. Cool.
- Peel, remove seeds, cut in chunks and set aside.
- In large stock pot add about 5 tbsp. olive oil, add apples, carrots, leeks and onions and begin sautéing.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and garlic.
- Stir to combine and continue sautéing.
- Add sea salt, cayenne pepper, thyme and sage.
- Sauté about 10 minutes.
- Add apple cider vinegar, vegetable broth, and bay leaves.
- Stir to combine and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add butternut squash and stir carefully so you don’t break up the bay leaves.
- Simmer until heated through and flavors are well blended.
- Remove from heat.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Blend in multiple batches in blender or use immersion blender (be careful not to burn yourself with hot soup mixture.
- Serve in bowls with sprinkles of cinnamon or fresh thyme, pumpkin seeds and Homemade Gluten Free Croutons for garnish.
9 Comments
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lovinghomemade
January 6, 2013 at 9:01 am
That sounds really good. Was looking for a new butternut squash soup recipe, thank you!
Teresa
January 6, 2013 at 4:53 pm
Your welcome. It really turned out delicious. I like sprinkling the top with more cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and thyme. Yum, yum!
LizForADay
January 4, 2013 at 6:39 am
I love butternut squash soup. Yours looks super flavorful. I am going to have to try it. 🙂
Teresa
January 4, 2013 at 10:20 am
I hope you do. Adjust the seasonings especially the cayenne to suit your taste. I thought it was scrumptious!
Melisa R
January 3, 2013 at 11:24 pm
I’ve never had this type of soup before but this looks amazingly tasty!
Teresa
January 4, 2013 at 10:26 am
It really is wonderful and you can add more spices and seasonings to suit your taste.