Easy Butternut Squash Soup! (2024)

FAQs

What to add to squash soup for flavor? ›

Yellow onion and garlic – These veggies add delicious depth of flavor. Fresh sage and rosemary – I don't reach for rosemary as often as some other fresh herbs, but I absolutely love it here. Along with the sage, it makes this soup cozy and complex.

Do you have to peel butternut squash for soup? No. There is no need to peel the squash. Not only is this a fussy process, but the squash skin is completely edible and will blend into the soup once cooked.

You can save time by buying butternut squash already cubed from your grocery store's produce section. Make sure the squash is fork tender before blending. If you blend too soon, your soup will be grainy, not smooth.

Dry cooking methods such as roasting and sauteeing tend to bring a squash's sugars to the fore. You might want to blanch or par-cook the squash in a little bit of water before sauteeing; that would diminish the sweetness somewhat but allow you to finish the dish in the prescribed fashion.

Making a delicious soup depends on building flavors as you go along. Aromatics, which include garlic, onion, leeks, carrots and celery, are the basic flavor-building blocks of most soup recipes. Sauteing these vegetables in oil or butter is the first step to boosting your soup's flavor.

Salt and black pepper round out the basics; from there, try some Poultry Seasoning, or look at our Green Goddess Seasoning to keep it light, bright, and playful. If you add potatoes or sweet potatoes to your chicken noodle soup, then we suggest that you complement them with cayenne pepper.

Why does my butternut squash soup taste bitter? Some butternut squash is more bitter than others, which may cause your soup to taste slightly bitter. If this is the case, try adding a bit more honey.

The One Way To Tell Butternut Squash Is Ripe

Light to dark green spots on the skin tells you it's definitely not ready to be eaten. If the skin is very pale—more creamy white than tan—it's not ripe. Look for a rich tan, darker amber, or orange color. It should also be matte, not glossy.

Why is my butternut squash tasteless? ›

If you pick too early, the flesh will not be fully developed and the squash will lack flavor and not be that wonderfully vegetal sweet that is the wonder of butternut, honeynut, delicata, acorn, pumpkin and kabocha, among dozens of other winter squash.

Young plants will need protection from slugs, snails and aphids after planting out. Later in the season, butternut squash can succumb to powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic virus. Keep plants well-watered and look for varieties that have good disease resistance.

How do I thicken butternut squash soup? If you find the soup is too thin, try adding pureed white beans to the soup. You can also use a small amount of cornstarch or arrowroot powder mixed with water (called a slurry) to thicken it up. Use a 1-to-2 ratio (for example, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to 2 teaspoons of water).

Adding/mixing water in the soup makes the soup less thick. (discrepencies apply. You could use more vegetables/fruits/ingredients with water in them in your soup or just plain ol' pour in water, though ratio applies.

Add acidic ingredients.

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

Herbs and sources add flavor, aroma, and intensity to the soup broth. You can pick fresh or dried herbs like basil for tomato-based soups or fresh parsley for clear broths. You may also add more spices like turmeric, ground ginger, ground paprika, or nutmeg for a touch of spice and color to your soup broth.

Add a squeeze of lemon or lime or a splash of sherry vinegar at the end of heating the soup. Try drizzling a few drops of roasted nut oil on top each bowl of soup. Roasted pumpkin seed oil on butternut squash soup, for instance, or roasted hazelnut oil on mushroom soup.