Soups & Stews

Serving

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Name: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Soups & Stews
Ingredients: 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled and cubed; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, whole; 4 cups vegetable broth; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 2 tablespoons maple syrup

A silky, naturally sweet soup of oven-roasted butternut squash blended with warm spices and a touch of cream.

75 minutes

Serves 6

Dinner

26 min prep

41 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Instructions

5 steps

1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, toss the squash cubes, onion, and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread on a baking sheet.
2
Roast for 35 to 40 minutes until the squash is tender and caramelized at the edges.
3
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a pot, add the vegetable broth, nutmeg, and cinnamon, then bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
4
Blend the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth.
5
Stir in the heavy cream and maple syrup, then warm through and adjust the seasoning to taste before serving.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup — plated and served — Serving moment. How Roasted Butternut Squash Soup looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

69/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 70

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 50

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

175

Calories

3 g

Protein

9 g

Carbs

14 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Roasted vegetable soups became common in Western home cooking as ovens made it easy to caramelize a vegetable's natural sugars before pureeing, a technique that builds more flavor into a soup than simply boiling the vegetables directly in the broth.

Listahan note

This version roasts the squash, onion, and whole garlic cloves together before pureeing, since that oven step caramelizes their natural sugars in a way a simmered soup base never achieves.

Technique cues

Roasting the cubed squash, onion, and whole garlic cloves together in olive oil caramelizes their natural sugars, building a depth of flavor a simmered, unroasted soup base doesn't develop.
Roasting the garlic whole rather than minced mellows its sharpness into a sweet, spreadable texture that blends smoothly into the pureed soup.
Pureeing the roasted vegetables with warm broth, rather than cold, keeps the soup's temperature more even through blending and reduces how long it takes to reheat afterward.
The soup's consistency is adjusted with the broth's quantity after blending, since roasted squash varies in moisture and a fixed amount of broth won't give a consistent thickness every time.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Prep any side dishes while Roasted Butternut Squash Soup finishes with the butternut squash — the hands-off cook time is the window to use.
Make-ahead: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup reheats well, so cooking it a day ahead and finishing it just before serving is a reasonable way to spread out the work.
Leftover move: Leftover Roasted Butternut Squash Soup reheats well covered on the stove or in the oven with a splash of liquid; avoid the microwave, which can dry out a dish reheated this way faster than a covered, gentler reheat.
Cleanup rhythm: Deglaze the pan used for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with a splash of water or broth right after cooking — it lifts the browned bits before they dry on and saves scrubbing later.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed

Richness and texture

Purpose: large butternut squash, peeled and cubed rounds the texture and helps the dish feel complete.

Handling: Prep before heat is high so the cooking step can move without rushing.

Adaptation: Use unsweetened dairy-free alternatives only where they still provide enough fat and body.

3 tablespoons olive oil

Richness and texture

Purpose: tablespoons olive oil rounds the texture and helps the dish feel complete.

Handling: Prep before heat is high so the cooking step can move without rushing.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

1 large yellow onion, chopped

Aromatic base

Purpose: large yellow onion, chopped creates the savory foundation before stronger ingredients are added.

Handling: Wash, trim, and cut evenly so the pieces cook at the same pace.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

3 cloves garlic, whole

Aromatic base

Purpose: cloves garlic, whole creates the savory foundation before stronger ingredients are added.

Handling: Wash, trim, and cut evenly so the pieces cook at the same pace.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

4 cups vegetable broth

Flavor support

Purpose: cups vegetable broth supports the balance of Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and should taste integrated.

Handling: Wash, trim, and cut evenly so the pieces cook at the same pace.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

Technique notes

An immersion blender used directly in the pot avoids transferring hot liquid to a stand blender in batches, which is a real burn risk with a soup this hot.
A drizzle of cream or a scattering of toasted seeds at serving adds a textural contrast to the smooth, pureed soup.
The soup freezes well, and many roasted vegetable soups taste just as good, if not better, reheated from frozen.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Swap the heavy cream for a neutral dairy-free butter or oil and a full-fat plant milk (oat or coconut work best for body) — the texture shifts slightly but the dish holds together. This one leans on the butternut squash.
Nut-aware direction: Leave off any nut topping — toasted seeds give a similar crunch without the risk. This one leans on the butternut squash.
Lower-sodium direction: Use a low-sodium or no-salt-added version of the vegetable broth, then season to taste with fresh herbs, citrus, or vinegar at the end instead of more salt. This one leans on the butternut squash.
Weeknight shortcut: For a faster version, prep the longest-cooking component a day ahead so the night-of cook is mostly assembly and finishing. This one leans on the butternut squash.

Serve alongside

Steamed rice
Cucumber salad
Roasted vegetables
Pickled vegetables
Iced tea
Sparkling water with citrus

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
Reheat gently with a splash of water, broth, milk, or sauce as appropriate.
Freeze up to 2 months when the texture is braised, baked, or stew-like.

Equipment

Dutch oven or soup pot
Wooden spoon
Ladle

Make this household-aware

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