This Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup has all the same great flavors as Panera’s version! Butternut Squash gets roasted and pureed with apple juice and chunks of green apples. Pumpkin gets added with honey and a perfect medley of seasonings including cinnamon, ginger and curry.
I get so excited when this soup is in season at Panera! It must be good if I actually deviate from their Broccoli Cheddar soup (holy yummy cheesiness). The squash flavors are perfection and scream the arrival of fall. I love just about anything with butternut squash. Especially, the sweet and spicy flavors going on here from the apple and curry flavors.
The biggest challenge when making this recipe is waiting for the squash to roast. Once the squash is finished, it is a breeze to finish up! I just threw it in a food processor with the apples and a bit of apple juice, but you could also just use an immersion blender to smooth everything out after it cooks for a bit. I wanted my soup to be more on the smooth side and thought the food processor would get me where I wanted to be. I have also seen recipes where the soup gets placed in a blender, but that just sounds like a pain having to blend a little bit of it at a time.
A bit of crunchiness brings a welcome texture from the roasted pumpkin or butternut squash seeds on top. Did you know that butternut squash seeds are just as delicious? I saved the seeds from my squash and roasted them for the garnishment on top of the soup. They also make a great snack!
How to roast butternut squash seeds:
- Run the seeds under water
- Clean off any squash pieces
- Dry them with paper towels
- Add the seeds to a small bowl
- Drizzle with a bit of olive oil
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
- Lightly stir
- Place the seeds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
- Bake at 275 degrees for around 10 minutes until crispy
If you are in a soup kind of mood like me, be sure to also check out one of my other favorites, Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Spinach and Mushroom Soup. Finish off your meal with a Caramel Apple Sangria or Spiked Pumpkin Latte found on my Saturated Saturday Cocktail Page.
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- Caramel Apple Sangria
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- Creamy Tortellini Spinach and Mushroom Soup
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- Spiked Pumpkin Latte
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- Candy Corn Martini
- 1 Large Butternut Squash
- 1 Granny Smith Apple; cubed and peeled
- 1 C. Organic Apple Juice
- 2 1/2 C. Vegetable Broth
- 1 1/2 Tsp. Ground Ginger
- 1/4 C. Honey
- 15 oz. Can of Pumpkin
- 2 1/2 Tsp. Curry Powder
- 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 C. Heavy Cream
- 2 Tbsp. Sugar
- Garnishment:
- Roasted pumpkin or butternut squash seeds
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
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Cut around a 1/2" off the ends of the butternut squash.
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Cut Butternut squash in half lengthwise.
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Remove seeds with a spoon.
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Place squash on a cookie sheet, drizzle both sides with olive oil, lightly season with salt and pepper.
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Place squash facing down (skin facing up) on the cookie sheet.
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Bake for around 45-50 minutes until squash is tender all the way through when poked with a fork.
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Allow squash to cool slightly; use a spoon to scoop out the squash and remove from the skin.
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Add squash to a food processor along with chopped apples and apple juice.
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Pulse until smooth.
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Add mixture to a large saucepan on low heat.
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Whisk in pumpkin, vegetable broth, honey, curry, ginger and cinnamon,
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Allow to simmer with the lid on for around 15 minutes; stirring occasionally.
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In a small saucepan, add heavy cream and sugar; frequently whisk on medium/low heat for around 5 minutes. Don't bring to a boil.
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Add the sweetened cream to the soup mixture; whisk until combined.
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Continue heating with the lid off for around 5 minutes.
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Remove from heat and top with roasted pumpkin or butternut squash seeds.
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Note: You can save the butternut squash seeds and roast them while the soup is cooking for a garnishment.
