Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is creamy, comforting and hearty for any evening or occasion. This easy weeknight meal calls for leftover roasted butternut squash and adds extra flavor with pancetta, onion and garlic. Makes 6 servings.

This recipe came about because I’d roasted a ton of butternut squash, and my kids didn’t love it. (In fact, my older one referred to it as “the thing that looks like an eggplant but that’s orange that we don’t like.”)

So I wanted to transform that leftover squash into something that my kids might want to eat…

Spoiler alert: They did not want to eat this, but that should not deter you, my friend.

When my girls grow up, I hope they’ll have a better appreciation for butternut squash and all the dishes made with it, including this decadent soup.

After all, as we grow, our tastebuds mature, and I really hope they can enjoy this some day before too long. (And girls, if you’re reading this years in the future, report back, mmkay?)

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Why I love this recipe:

If you’re like me and get a wild hair to roast a ton of butternut squash, but don’t necessarily want to eat roasted butternut squash every night for a week, THIS recipe is for you!

If you want to shake up your usual routine and add some comfort in? THIS soup is for you.

This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup might take a little extra time with the roasting, but it’s incredibly comforting, creamy, slightly sweet and utterly delicious.

Served with a little pancetta on top, it’s extra hearty and perfect for a chilly winter’s day, too.

I’ll explain below how you can make this truly vegetarian if that’s what you’re in the market for today, too!

More comforting soup recipes for the winter months: Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup | Chicken Spaetzle Soup | Spicy Tomato Soup | Instant Pot French Onion Soup | Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup | Seafood Gumbo | Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup | Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings

Need dinner ideas? Check out my Dinner Recipe Index for inspiration.

What you need to make this recipe

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• Dutch oven
• Wooden spoon
• Immersion blender or blender

You’re also going to need some ingredients:

• Butternut squash—you can use a whole roasted butternut squash OR chopped butternut squash that’s been roasted. I recommend it being roasted before you start making this soup to make the recipe come together faster, but if you need to roast yours, I have a tutorial for you here, so pop over there, read that and get started! If you need help prepping it, check out How to Peel and Cut Butternut Squash.
• Olive oil—or another oil of your choosing. We tend to go between olive oil and avocado oil in our household, but any lightly flavored oil should work.
• Pancetta—yes, I know, this makes this soup not vegetarian. This Italian cured meat is wonderful when paired with the butternut squash. HOWEVER, if you’re a vegetarian or don’t eat pork, you can leave this out completely. (That said, I really enjoy the flavor it brings, so.)
• Onion—white or yellow onions are what you’re looking for in this recipe for the best flavor. I do not recommend using a purple onion (because it’ll change the color of the soup) or a sweet onion because it will change the taste of the end result.
• Garlic cloves—peel and chop your own or purchase the pre-chopped stuff from the store. Use whatever works best for you!
• Vegetable broth—I tend keep the homemade stuff in our freezer during the cold months of the year, but you can just pick up a container of it at the store, too, and that works perfectly.
• Heavy whipping cream—this adds a wonderful creaminess to our soup. If you don’t have heavy whipping cream, regular whipping cream or half-and-half will work in a pinch, though your soup will not be as creamy since heavy whipping cream has a higher fat content.
• Salt and pepper—we’re just using the basics to season our soup.

Acceptable substitutions for this recipe:

• Make it vegan or dairy free. Swap the heavy whipping cream with coconut milk or cream. This will add a little extra sweetness to the soup, but it will be divine.
• No vegetable stock? Use the same amount of chicken broth or stock instead, so long as you eat chicken.

How to make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

First and foremost, prep all your ingredients. If you haven’t already, roast the butternut squash. Chop the onion. Mince the garlic.

Cook the pancetta in a large Dutch oven or stock pot in the olive oil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Set it aside for later because we’ll use this as a garnish.

Be sure to leave the extra fat in the pan for additional flavor.

Cook the onion and garlic in the pot until softened and fragrant. You don’t need for the onion and garlic to change color or get golden brown, but you definitely want them to soften and become less sharp as they cook.

Next, add the squash. If you’re adding the whole squash, scoop it out of the skin and cook lightly with the onion and garlic.

Pour in the stock, and stir to combine. I like to let mine cook for a few moments just to bring it up to temperature to the rest of the ingredients.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. You can also transfer the ingredients to a stand blender to blend them up, though I will say using an immersion blender, also known as a stick blender, is really helpful in soup making.

Heat the soup over low heat until everything is warmed through.

Lastly, stir in the cream. Give it taste at this point and add a few pinches of salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serve warm with an extra drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of the pancetta. Enjoy immediately!

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

This easy weeknight dinner would be an excellent dish to serve at a dinner party, either as the star of the show (HELLO, Souper Bowl Party!) or as an appetizer to get the gathering started.

As I’ve said before and I’ll keep shouting from the rooftops, entertaining doesn’t have to be fancy or challenging.

If serving soup to your people is something that genuinely makes you happy and helps you connect with them, I say DO IT.

Here are a few things you can do if you’re making this for your people to make your gathering even easier:

• Roast your butternut squash in advance. Keep it in the fridge until it’s soup time.
• Make the soup in advance. Cool it off, and keep it in the fridge. Before guests arrive, pour it into a pot on the stovetop and warm it up.
• Choose low-fuss side dishes, like Quick Rosemary Drop Biscuits or Strawberry Romaine Salad to serve alongside the soup. These are all nice homemade touches that don’t require a lot of work or effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks for the best roasted butternut squash soup recipe

• Use leftover roasted squash for the fastest results! Or next time you’re roasting squash, do double your usual amount so you can transform it into this soup.
• How to store: Let the soup cool completely, then transfer to an airtight food storage container. Store in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
• How to freeze: Transfer the soup into a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating and enjoying.

More recipes that use butternut squash:

• Butternut squash puree: Make this for your baby! Roast the butternut squash, then simply puree it in a food processor or blender, store in the fridge and serve.
• Tortellini Butternut Squash Pasta with Pancetta and Spinach
• Oven Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple and Cranberries