Easy and Healthy Miso & Butternut Squash Soup Recipe.

Easy.

Delicious.

And heart healthy!

Happy Soup Season, y’all!! I gift to you the best butternut squash soup you’ll ever have. I developed this recipe to use up some apples–yup, I said apples! I had a bunch of apples from apple picking and I wanted to incorporate them into a delicious, fall soup. Enter SQUASH. It turns out that the tart flavor of apples pairs perfectly with the nutty, creamy squash.

This easy butternut squash soup recipe is going to knock your wool socks off, so let’s get into it!

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Why You’ll LOVE This Squash Soup Recipe.

Look, I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you what squash soup is (SEO be darned). It’s soup. Made of squash (well, I guess I did it anyway). But I am going to tell you why you’re going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this particular squash soup recipe!

This squash soup recipe is:

Versatile
Easy
Flavorful
Creamy
Healthy

It’s that time of year–ya know the one: when the sun doesn’t come out until lunch time and decides to take its leave before dinner; when the wind whips your hair in your face while you drive and you almost get into an accident spitting it out; when the color of fall leaves makes you want to write the next great American novel only you haven’t actually read one of those in like 15 years.

Cue: soup recipes. This squash soup is the ultimate comfort food, packed with a bevy (take that algorithm!) of savory flavors that will make you want to curl up with a good book (or an excellent true crime docudrama on Netflix–I don’t judge), a lovely piece of crusty bread (or a Cheddar & Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich), and a big fat bowl of this favorite of favorite soups.

Why is it so versatile, you ask? Well, you can use just about any ole’ squash you want. Butternut is quite popular, easy to work with, and cheaper, so I went with that. But honestly, you can use pumpkin, kabocha, delicata squash. You can also use sweet potato, yams, or even a straight up potato with this recipe, if you don’t want squash (though, at that point, I’m not sure you can call it a “squash soup” recipe).

How do you achieve the depth of flavor I’m promising? Well, many different ways, friends. First, as the title suggests, I use one of my sure-fire weapons for optimal flavor: miso paste! I find that the sweet, mellow flavor of miso goes perfectly with the sweet, nutty flavor of squash. Match made in heaven for this particular fall soup recipe. Second, we roast a ton of veggies to achieve a smokey, concentrated flavor to layer together with the miso.

And the creamy texture? This is a creamy butternut squash soup. But have no fear–it’s dairy free. It turns out that mixing in miso gives this dreamy, velvety soup all the creaminess it needs. No heavy cream, no sour cream, not even coconut cream or cashew cream necessary! I promise you, though–you will not miss any of these things!

Finally, like I said, this soup is easy peasy. Basically, just put everything onto a sheet pan, stick it in the oven, and then stick the roasted veggies in a stand blender with some veggie broth and done. I mean, the hardest part about this quintessential fall squash soup recipe is chopping up that squash.

Health Benefits of Squash Soup.

Did ya think I forgot to talk about why this soup is healthy? Of course not. I thought it was so important that I wanted to dedicate an entire section, all by itself, to discuss the many health attributes of this squash soup:

Antioxidants.

This squash soup recipe is packed with antioxidants (you know, those things that cancer doesn’t like), including beta-carotene, vitamin C, and polyphenols. The latter can be particularly useful in fighting type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Potassium.

This squash soup recipe is rich in potassium, making it an excellent source of electrolytes that will promote heart health and potentially counteract the negative effects of excess sodium on blood pressure.

Fiber.

Look, if you want to live longer, you better be as obsessed with fiber as I am. Because, as my husband likes to say, “Fiber fix[es] it!” And guess what? This squash soup has a lot of fiber, which, as we all know, can help regulate your blood sugar, make you feel full longer, and otherwise help you not die as fast. See? Let fiber fix it!

Calcium.

I dunno about you, but I’m at that time in my life when bone-health is top of mind. Yes, I lift weights, but calcium is also important in that pursuit! Surprisingly (I did not know this until I researched it), butternut squash contains 84 mg of calcium per cup, making it a “calcium-rich food”!

Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for Squash Soup Recipe.

This roasted butternut squash soup recipe is composed of simple ingredients that you should be able to find at your local grocery store and/or your farmer’s market. Don’t worry–no apple picking required for this squash soup recipe. I promise!

Butternut Squash.

Surprise, surprise, this butternut squash soup recipe calls for, you guessed it:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

You’ll need a whole squash (that you’re going to cut in half with a very sharp knife) for this squash soup recipe. But, as I mentioned above, you can pretty much use any squash you want (so long as you have roughly the same volume of squashy flesh). You can use pumpkin, kabocha, delictata squash. You can also ditch squash altogether and make this a potato soup, by using sweet potatoes or regular potatoes.

While I prefer using fresh squash, you can, of course, pick up frozen squash and roast them together with the other vegetables in this recipe.

White Miso Paste.

To achieve the promised velvety texture and unbelievable flavor, this squash soup recipe calls for white miso paste. I like the mellowness of white miso paste, but you can also use yellow or even red miso paste, if you prefer more punch to this soup. You can also use doenjang, if you want to really amp up the umami of this squash soup recipe.

Green (Granny Smith) Apples.

To achieve memorable and complex flavors, you need a little bit of acid. Enter green apples. The tartness of the apples marries perfectly with the nutty sweetness of the squash, giving it that “somethin’ somethin'” that’ll leave your dinner party guests wondering “How did you make this plain Jane squash soup so SEXY??” (yes, this soup is good enough for any dinner occasion, including the dinner to which you invite your highly critical mother-in-law).

Can you use other apples? Sure. But if you’ve had apples before, then you know that green apples are the sassiest and we do want some sass here in this squash soup recipe. So, if you can’t get your hands on green apples, get some galas or honeycrisp or even some pink ladies.

Fennel.

Yup. FENNEL has entered the chat, y’all. You know we’re about to throw down when I start adding fennel to a recipe. The rich, licorice flavor of this celery lookalike builds on the flavor layers to ensure that this is, indeed, the best butternut squash soup recipe you’ve ever had the pleasure of slurping.

If you can’t find fennel, then go with a little celery. It won’t be a perfect substitute, but there’s a reason why celery is in the legendary triumvirate of soup bases (i.e., mirepoix).

Carrot.

Speaking of mirepoix, yes, this orange soup will have another orange ingredient: carrot. Roasted carrots will heighten the sweetness of this soup while also helping to keep it nice and creamy. The bright orange color will also give this squash soup another boost of cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Shallots and Garlic.

I mean, how can we achieve the best flavor for our best butternut squash soup without shallots and garlic? We can’t. So we won’t. The shallots and garlic will sweeten as they roast and add rich umami to this already bursting with flavor squash soup. If you don’t have shallots, you can honestly use whatever onions you have on hand (yellow onions, white onions, even red onions), though I do think shallots have the best balance of sweetness and savory for this squash soup.

As for garlic, well, if you don’t have a whole head of garlic, yes, you can get away with throwing in some minced garlic when it’s time to blend, though, it won’t be as good as with roasted garlic (which is sweet and lovely and creamy).

Vegetable Stock.

This is a vegan butternut squash soup recipe so no chicken stock here! Instead, we’re going to use a nice vegetable stock or broth that’ll help enhance the flavor. If you’re in a bind but you still NEED to make this soup (I get it), yes, you can use water.

Maple Syrup.

The squash soup recipe calls for just a little bit of maple syrup. Why? Well, squash can get a little bitter if you don’t pick the right one. In order to guard against that potential, we add just a touch of sweetener. Maple syrup is pretty much REQUIRED when you’re using apples anyway, right? If you don’t want to use any sweetener, you can skip the maple syrup and hope you picked out a good squash. You can also replace the maple syrup with whatever your preferred sweetener happens to be (agave, coconut sugar, date sugar, etc.).

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Squash Soup.

As I’ve mentioned, this butternut squash soup is a very easy recipe and comes together quite quickly. So, let’s get to it!

Step 1.

First, preheat your oven to 450° F. Then, using a very sharp knife, carefully cut the entire butternut squash in half lengthwise. I found it easiest to spear the squash in the middle and then press down with the heel of my hand. I did this multiple times, very slowly. Place the squash halves on a sheet pan (no need to line it with parchment paper). Rub it with a little extra virgin olive oil (which you can skip to keep this recipe oil-free) and season with a little salt, black pepper, and dried Italian seasoning. Also, slice an entire head of garlic in half (around the middle). Wrap it in foil and also add to the sheet pan.

Step 2.

Place the other chopped vegetables and fruit on a separate sheet pan. If you want to keep this recipe oil free, make sure to line it with parchment paper. Otherwise, drizzle them with a little olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and some Italian seasoning. Make sure the vegetables are spread out (use a second one if necessary).

Place sheet pans with squash and vegetables in the preheated oven. Remove the vegetable sheet pan from the oven after about 35 minutes (apples will have started to brown). Remove the squash and garlic sheet pan after about 55 to 65 minutes (when the squash is fork tender). Allow everything to cool to room temperature.

Step 3.

Scoop out the seeds from the butternut squash (I used kitchen sheers and a big spoon). Then, scoop out the flesh and place it in a high-powered blender, together with the other roasted vegetables and fruit. Squeeze out the roasted garlic. Add miso paste, a little maple syrup, and several cups of vegetable broth. Blend on high until completely smooth. Garnish with fresh fennel fronds, toasted pumpkin seeds, a little drizzle of olive oil (if you like), and some vegan cheese (I used homemade tofu ricotta from Big Vegan Flavor).

DONE!

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