This dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is an easy and delicious recipe to enjoy during the cooler season. It’s a creamy blend of butternut squash, ripe pears with just enough spice from ginger for added flavor! Great as an everyday or holiday soup that is sure to please family and friends.
As the cooler weather arrives, it’s time to start thinking about warming up with homemade soups.
And who doesn’t enjoy a good bowl of soup? It’s the ultimate comfort food.
Whether it is a hearty escarole and bean soup or a protein-rich lentil soup, these easy soup recipes taste great and provide a comforting way to enrich our diets as the weather gets colder.
One of my favorite healthy soup recipes to prepare this time of year is this butternut squash soup recipe. It is an easy and flavorful combination of roasted butternut squash, ginger and pears.
It’s a perfect recipe to make on cool evenings, especially when the weather begins to change and we start craving heartier meals.
This soup is not just great for every day, it’s also perfect to serve at your next holiday get-together. This festive-looking soup can be prepared ahead of time and freezes well, saving you time in the kitchen during the holiday season while still delivering delicious flavor!
Mise en Place
This squash soup recipe comes together in no time at all, but there’s one hour of inactive cooking needed to roast our butternut squash. If more convenient, this process can be done ahead of time.
Preheat your oven to 400° F/205°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut your butternut squash in half. It should weigh anywhere between 3-4 pounds.
Remove the seeds and strings and set them aside for just a moment. Drizzle the cut sides with about two tablespoons of olive oil (total) and season with kosher salt and black pepper.
Place your seasoned squash cut-side down onto the baking sheet and let it bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You’ll know when it’s done because you can easily insert a knife through its thickest part.
Please remove it from the oven.
When cool enough to handle, carefully scoop out all of that delicious roasted butternut goodness into another bowl. Discard the peel. Set it aside while we start our soup. Only 20 more minutes to go!
Instructions
Place a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sauté 1 diced onion, frequently stirring for about 5 minutes.
When the onions have softened, add 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and sauté for another minute.
Add 4 cups of vegetable broth, 3 chopped pears (cored and peeled), the roasted butternut squash and 1 bay leaf.
Stir together and bring to a low simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
You’re only a few minutes away from soup perfection!
Remove the bay leaf. Puree soup with an immersion blender or food processor as needed; adjust seasonings accordingly.
Garnish your soup however you like–roasted seeds always make me happy, but don’t forget some fresh herbs too!
How to roast squash seeds?
Did you know that the seeds of butternut squash are edible?
Just like this recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds, they make a healthy snack. They are also great to use as a garnish for homemade soups.
Once you scoop out the seeds from the squash, please place them in a large bowl of cold water. The seeds will easily separate from the pulp.
Transfer the seeds to a paper towel and pat dry. Place the dry seeds in a bowl and season with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.
Once the butternut squash has finished roasting, spread the seasoned squash seeds on the same parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until golden brown. Toss 1-2 times during the roasting process.
Tips
- The time needed to roast the butternut squash is approximately one hour and this process can be done ahead of time.
- If possible, use any variety of ripe pears as they provide just a hint of sweetness to the soup.
- Store leftovers in teh refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Feel free to season with your favorite spices -paprika, turmeric, curry all work well with the natural sweetness of this soup.
- For a non-vegan version, chicken stock can be used.
What to serve with this butternut soup?
If you are looking for a bread recipe to dip into this creamy soup, try this cast iron focaccia or this quick flatbread recipe.
How to freeze soup?
To freeze this homemade soup, place the desired amount in freezer-safe containers, label with the date and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to reheat, simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat over medium heat until hot.
Recipe origins
We had an abundance of pears in the house recently, and most of them went towards making different flavor combinations for this crockpot pear butter. But I did manage to hang on to the few ripe pears that I needed to make this, one of my favorite pear soup recipes.
The original recipe is from one of my preferred cooks, Dave Lieberman. If interested, the original recipe can be found on the food network. As usual, I’ve adapted this soup to suit my preferences.
I roasted the squash in the oven; I substituted the rosemary with a bay leaf and ginger. To reduce the number of saturated fats, I replaced the butter with extra virgin olive oil and eliminated the cream.
The velvety smoothness of this dairy-free Roasted Butternut Squash Ginger Pear Soup is attained with only healthy ingredients. The perfect soup for those inevitable cooler evenings.
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Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this easy squash soup recipe with pears, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Easy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds butternut squash large
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 teaspoon ginger root grated, fresh
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 3 pears medium , fresh, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut squash in half; remove the seeds and strings. Set aside.
- Drizzle the cut side with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
- Place on a baking sheet with cut-side down.
- Bake between 45-60 minutes or until you can easily slice through the pulp with a knife.
- Remove from oven and set aside to slightly cool off.
- Place the seeds on the same parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for a couple of minutes until nice and roasted.
- Scoop out the flesh and discard the peel.
- Place a thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sauté the onion, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the grated ginger root and sauté for another minute or so.
- Add the stock, squash, chopped pears, and bay leaf.
- Combine together.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Puree the soup with a handheld immersion blender (or use a food processor).
- Adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Garnish with seeds and sage leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 19, 2016 and republished on October 2, 2021 with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing!
Denise
Excellent! Such a nice Fall soup. Looking forward to making it again.
Maria
So thrilled to read this Denise! Thanks so much for sharing!