Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup is served in a dark bowl.

This creamy butternut squash soup is a wonderful fall and winter treat. My easy version is made with garlic, heavy cream, and parmesan.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 142kcal

Author Vered DeLeeuw

Ingredients

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups butternut squash cubed; 20 ounces
¼ cup parmesan cheese grated, not shredded
¼ cup heavy cream

Instructions

In a medium stockpot, whisk the chicken broth, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme.
Add the butternut squash cubes. Bring to a boil over high heat (this should take about 10 minutes), then lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook until the butternut squash is very tender, for about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat off. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the stockpot (see Notes below).
Return the soup to the pot. Turn the heat back on to medium-low. Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan and cook, uncovered, just until heated through, about 2 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Pureing The Soup

There are two ways to puree a soup. For a very creamy texture, working in at least two batches, carefully transfer the hot soup to your stand blender. Blend each batch until completely smooth and transfer it to a bowl. When all batches are done, return the pureed soup to the pot and proceed with the recipe.

The second method is to use an immersion blender and blend the soup right inside the pot. The result won't be as thick and creamy. However, it's just as tasty, and using an immersion blender is easier.

When using a stand blender, never fill your blender past the maximum fill line. It's best to fill it no more than half full. If the lid wasn't designed to allow steam to escape, remove the center piece and drape a clean towel on top of the lid. You can hold down the lid when blending to prevent it from being pushed off, but do so without placing your hand - or your face - over the hot steam.

Thickening the Soup

After some trial and error, I have found that a ratio of four cups (20 ounces) of squash to 2 cups of broth works well. The heavy cream and parmesan further help to thicken the soup. But if you make it and are dissatisfied with how thick it is, you have three options:

Add more parmesan and/or heavy cream. You can add an additional ¼ cup of each.
Make a slurry of 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons of cold water, add the slurry to the soup, and heat over medium heat, stirring, until the soup thickens (1-2 minutes typically).
Stir in ½ tablespoon of coconut flour into the warm soup. Coconut flour is a powerful thickener, and the small amount added here won't affect the soup's flavor.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave, making sure they don't reach a boiling temperature. You might need to thin out the leftovers with a bit of water, as the soup tends to thicken while it stands in the fridge.

You can also freeze this soup for up to three months. I like to freeze individual servings and thaw them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.

Nutrition