The Best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

The Best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is a soup recipe built around butternut squash cubes, onions and olive oil. Plan on 5 to 6 servings and about 90 minutes.

• Yield 5 to 6 servings
• Ready in 90 minutes
• Prep 25 minutes
• Cook 65 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds butternut squash cubes
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced into thin half moon strips
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon paste ( to use chicken broth or bouillon cubes)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more, to taste
• Optional garnish: cooked, crumbled bacon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Scatter butternut squash cubes and onions evenly over half sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lightly toss. Roast in the oven for 1 hour without stirring until the squash and onions are tender and golden.
3. Scrape the squash/onion mixture into a 4-quart pot. Add the water, bouillon, and garlic. Bring to a simmer.
4. Stir the cream cheese cubes into the soup. Turn the heat off and let the cream cheese melt into the soup, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the milk and cream and stir to combine.
6. Using an immersion blender (or ladling the soup into a blender), blend the soup until smooth. *If using a blender, vent the lid so steam can escape.*
7. Return the soup to medium-low heat to heat through. Stir in the cayenne pepper. Add additional salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.
8. Serve warm with crumbled, cooked bacon on top, if desired. The soup will thicken a bit as it cools.

Loosen a leftover bowl with a splash of water when you reheat it.