Butternut Squash Soup and Sauce

by | Oct 16, 2014 | Uncategorized | 77 comments

As promised, I’m sharing the butternut squash soup that I used as a pasta sauce over our homemade pappardelle the other night. Squashes are now in season and they make wonderful ingredients for hosting dinner or for weekday meals. This yummy soup is a great dish to make in larger quantities and to heat up for a quick meal. It’s also so rich and creamy that it works as a pasta sauce! So let’s get started.

butternut 6

Butternut Squash Soup and Sauce

Ingredients (serves 4 soups):

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped.
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme
  • 3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste.
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
  • Chopped walnuts and olive oil for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400F. Prick the squash with a knife so that the squash does not explode when you roast it. Roast the squash on a baking pan until it feels somewhat soft and a knife can easily poke through, about 1 hour.

Once the squash has cooled, scoop out the inside and toss the skins. In the meantime, saute the onions in the butter over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Allow the onions to “sweat” until they become translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme.

Pour the chicken broth into the saucepan, and add the squash (and maple syrup if using). Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavors.

In batches, transfer the soup to a food processor (or sturdy blender) and puree until smooth. Return to the saucepan and stir to integrate. Add salt and pepper to taste. The soup can last in a refrigerated airtight container for about one week.

To Serve: To serve as a soup, ladle it into bowls and top with chopped walnuts and drizzle with olive oil. To serve as a pasta sauce, toss freshly cooked pasta with desired amount of sauce in a bowl. Transfer to a plate and top with walnuts. Bon appetit!

butternut 1

butternut 4

butternut 5

Do you like creamy or pureed soups? Would you prefer to have this as a soup or pasta sauce? I’d love to know! And stay tuned for a homemade pasta tutorial next week, as requested! I’ll be discussing pasta making in detail (though I’m no expert) and sharing what tools and recipes we prefer! And if you like creamy soups, be sure to check out my potato leek soup too– a French bistro inspired dish. Yum!

77 Comments

  1. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 19, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    Sounds delicious Yalanda! Glad I’m not the only one who did that. Goat cheese is such a good idea, I’ll have to try that some time. Thank you so much for stopping by:)

  2. Yalanda_Meshell
    Yalanda_Meshell on October 19, 2014 at 3:35 am

    Yum!!! Last fall I used what I thought was a meh attempt at a butternut squash soup for sauce and loved it! I topped it with goat cheese and it was perfection!

  3. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 17, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    Alexandra! So good to hear from you, and I’m so encouraged by your words. Thank you for checking out my blog and sharing your thoughts! I do hope you try the recipe and let me know what you think:) Let’s keep in touch!

  4. Alexandra Spund
    Alexandra Spund on October 17, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    Hey :). I’m SO GLAD that I’ve stumbled upon your blog. I love the concept of it, I think we all really need to try live more simply in this ever so complex world we’re in. And this recipe is AWESOME! I love anything butternut squash, especially during the fall, so I will be sure to try this as a pasta sauce soon! It’s nice to have another alternative besides your typical tomato sauce :D.
    -Alex

    http://believeinyou24.wordpress.com/

  8. Sarah Dusinberre
    Sarah Dusinberre on October 17, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    THANK YOU! I love butternut squash soup and using it as a sauce over pasta is GENIUS. I can’t wait to try this!

    – Sarah 🙂
    http://www.thecrownbijoux.blogspot.com

  9. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 17, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    You are so kind, Rachel! And I love the idea of turning a tomato sauce to a tomato soup! Tomato soup is definitely one of my favorites, perhaps you can share your recipe 🙂 And ooh potato leek is one of my new obsessions. Pretty much learning to use my beloved vitamix blender for as many dishes as possible 😉

    And it is so encouraging to hear you enjoy my blog– that makes my day, Rachel! It takes a while to come up with content that you love and can write lots about. What helps me is to post consistently on certain topics at least once a week: I like to post about food, style, relationships, and personal experiences at least once, which gives me more than half a week’s worth of material right there. Keep at it! Not all your posts have to be perfect, it’s important to allow yourself to experiment:)

  10. Rachel Keeth
    Rachel Keeth on October 17, 2014 at 3:08 pm

    Delicious! I absolutely love butternut squash, so I must give this a try, maybe tomorrow. This reminds me, recently I made some pasta for dinner with homemade sauce. The next day I was looking for something to eat so I turned the leftover sauce into a creamy tomato soup with basil. I love quick inspirations like that, using one dish and making another. Creative of you to use the soup as pasta sauce! And yes, I love creamy and pureed soups! Potato leak and cheese soup is one of my favorites.

    I really love your blog, as you can probably tell from my comments. 😉 It both amazes and inspires me that you get new posts up so often! I do better when I preschedule posts, but I often don’t do that more than a day or two in advance, so I get behind.

  11. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 17, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Awesome, Jessica! It’s a great pureed soup to try 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by, friend!

  12. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 17, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Haha thanks so much Emily!! I hope you enjoy it– and I totally would, whenever you’re in LA 😉 Have a good weekend!

  19. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 17, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    Thank you Joanna 🙂 I hope you enjoy it, and thanks so much for stopping by!

  22. Jessica
    Jessica on October 17, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    I’ve actually never had butternut squash soup but I’ve always wanted to try it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  23. Emily Attwood
    Emily Attwood on October 17, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    How did I just see this? This soup looks so good. I need to make it! You also can come cook for me anytime ;). Have a good weekend!!

    20somethingfashion.blogspot.com

  25. Bree Bianca Hill
    Bree Bianca Hill on October 17, 2014 at 9:54 am

    That looks so good and easy to make. I will definitely be trying it out as a soup and as a pasta sauce. Possibly next week?

    Living in NYC with Bree
    http://breebiancahill.com

  26. Lyndsay
    Lyndsay on October 17, 2014 at 7:15 am

    Yum this looks so good. I can’t wait to try making it myself!

    prosecco in the park

  28. jointyicroissanty
    jointyicroissanty on October 17, 2014 at 4:54 am

    It looks really tasty! I’m starving now;) I have to try your recipe.

    jointyicroissanty.blogspot.com

  30. Joanna
    Joanna on October 17, 2014 at 3:45 am

    I’m going to make this next week- thanks so much for sharing!!! Looks so delicious.

    lovejoanna.com

  31. Anna James
    Anna James on October 17, 2014 at 12:48 am

    I need to try this right now! lol. Looks super yummy. 🙂

  35. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    Thank you Rachel! This is an easy one– as long as you have a good blender/ food processor! xx

  36. Rachel
    Rachel on October 16, 2014 at 5:57 pm

    Mmmmm looks so good! I’m gonna try it as soup- I really need to work on my cooking skills so thanks for this yummy recipe 😉

    Rachel xx
    http://www.thedailyluxe.blogspot.com

  38. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    Thank you Chelsea!! Yes, it’s definitely a cold weather soup 🙂 Here’s to cooler weather!

  41. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:34 pm

    Haha sounds like a plan Corinne! I hope you (and your housemate) enjoy it:)

  42. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    Thank you Jill! Yeah, soups tend to make for lighter sauces, which is nice! Thank you so much for stopping by 🙂

  43. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    Haha thank you Francesca! You are so kind. Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

  44. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    Aww that would be so sweet, thanks Zelle! I hope you both enjoy it. Thanks so much for stopping by, friend!

  45. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    Thanks Anne!! Exactly– I love that there’s no cream in this soup, and you can even swap out the butter for olive oil if you want. I’m a huge butter fiend though so… I’ll be keeping the butter 😉 Hope you enjoy it, friend!

  47. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Thank you so much Whitney! I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

  48. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Haha that’s great, Shannon! Thank you so much 🙂 Let me know how you like it– it’s the ultimate comfort food and so much better than mac&cheese 😉

  49. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    Thank you Shireen! I hope you enjoy it 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!

  52. Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
    Daisy @ Simplicity Relished on October 16, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    Haha thank you Ashley!! It really is good as a creamy buttery sauce 🙂 I really appreciate you stopping by, friend!

  60. Shannon Jenkins
    Shannon Jenkins on October 16, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    Yum this sounds so amazing as a soup and sauce!! Can’t wait for the pasta recipe!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeatsoles.blogspot.com

  61. Corinne C
    Corinne C on October 16, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    I love butternut squash soup. I’ll have to get my housemate to make me one now.

    Corinne x
    http://www.skinnedcartree.com

  62. Jill G
    Jill G on October 16, 2014 at 11:12 am

    I love butternut squash soup and never thought to use it as a pasta sauce! This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!

    Jill
    http://www.dousedinpink.com

  63. francesca
    francesca on October 16, 2014 at 11:11 am

    this look sso yummy! I think i have to make this tonight
    francesca

    Frank Vinyl

  64. Zelle Brown
    Zelle Brown on October 16, 2014 at 11:07 am

    I’m for sure sharing this with my mom! And would love this as both a soup and a sauce! Delicious!

    xo Southern Style

  65. Anne @ Love the Here and Now
    Anne @ Love the Here and Now on October 16, 2014 at 10:37 am

    CAn’t wait to try this, it looks delicious. I love creamy soups but hate milk so finding a soup ,made without it is tough. Adding this to my recipe box!

  66. Whitney V
    Whitney V on October 16, 2014 at 10:15 am

    OMG this looks soooooooooooooo yummy!! Will try it in the next few days, thanks a lot!

    Love,
    Whitney

    http://www.whitneyswonderland.com

  67. shannon
    shannon on October 16, 2014 at 10:02 am

    Ugh I’m so hungry now! Your pictures look absolutely delish! And it’s official I am 100% going to try this as pasta sauce this weekend! Thank you 🙂

    Shannon
    Clothes & Quotes

  68. Shireen
    Shireen on October 16, 2014 at 9:45 am

    This sounds healthy and looks absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it!

    Reflection of Sanity

  71. Ashley Minck
    Ashley Minck on October 16, 2014 at 8:09 am

    Oh my! This looks incredible. I’ve had butternut squash soup but over pasta sounds so interesting in the best possible way.

  77. Maggie
    Maggie on October 16, 2014 at 4:17 am

    Yayyy I’m so happy you shared this recipe!! Now I can finally try it and impress my husband with my sweet cooking skills! 🙂

    Maggie
    http://www.PolishedClosets.com