Spicy Harvest Butternut Squash Soup

This velvety smooth Spicy Harvest Butternut Squash Soup is packed with the flavors of autumn with butternut squash, tart apple and sweet pear with a touch of spicy heat from ancho chili pepper.  This soup is perfect for holiday entertaining or a cold winter’s night.

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One of my favorite fall soups is Butternut Squash Soup – however, I have to confess, I never made it from scratch before. I used to buy it ready made, whether it’s a soup starter from a fancy kitchen store or in tall soup carton at my local grocery store.

The other day, I was picking up some veggies at my local Whole Paychex and I spotted the butternut squash on sale and thought, hmmmmm…. It wasn’t my intention to make soup at first – I thought perhaps I might roast it for a side dish or something, but late one night, it hit me, why not make butternut squash soup from scratch.

This soup is so ridiculously easy that if I can make it, trust me, anyone can. The most effort comes from the veggie chopping and then blitzing in the blender or food processor. I wanted to add a touch of heat to the soup so when I was testing this recipe, I found that you could either add just a slight tinge of ancho chile pepper or a bit more for a spicy bite. To compliment the butternut squash, I wanted to add a bit of complex sweetness with granny smith apple and fresh pear and that took this soup over the top. Garnish with a swirl of Greek yogurt and some toasted pepitas and you have a delicious and comforting soup, perfect for dinner!

This Spicy Harvest Butternut Squash Soup is a delicious holiday starter (perfect for serving in shooter glasses), the first course for Thanksgiving dinner or whenever you want a bowl of comfort, especially when the winter chill sets in. You can prep a pot of this lovely velvety soup and freeze for later. The options are endless.

Instead of reaching for the ready made soup in a box, grab a few fresh ingredients and pantry staples and make this delicious Spicy Harvest Butternut Squash Soup from scratch.

On to the recipe:

Gather your ingredients

Dicing up the butternut squash.

Adding the apples, pears and red pepper

Let’s blitz this lovely in the Vitamix

Look at how velvety smooth it is.

The perfect butternut squash soup

Aly M. Cleary

Yields 6-8

Spicy Harvest Butternut Squash Soup

This velvety smooth Spicy Harvest Butternut Squash Soup is a delicious first course or bowl of comfort, perfect for a chilly winter’s night.

10 minPrep Time

50 minCook Time

1 hrTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into large chunks
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon of ancho chili pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• TO GARNISH:
• Greek Yogurt
• Toasted pepitas

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the diced onion and sauté for about 4 – 6 minutes, until translucent.
3. Add the diced butternut squash and sauté for another 7 minutes, until the squash starts to soften.
4. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute more.
5. Add the diced apple, pear and red bell pepper and sauté for another couple minutes.
6. Add the ancho chile pepper, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Sauté for a couple minutes to bloom the spices.
7. Add the honey and the vegetable stock, taking care to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
8. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
9. Simmer for about 25 – 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
10. Remove the mixture to a Vitamix, high power blender or food processor in batches, making sure to only fill the jar halfway. Be careful as the mixture is hot.
11. Blend until smooth and then return the smooth soup mixture to the Dutch oven.
12. Simmer for a couple minutes more. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, you can thin it out with some water or additional vegetable stock.
13. Serve with a swirl of Greek yogurt and a few toasted pepitas.
14. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories

393 cal

Fat

23 g

Carbs

39 g

Protein

7 g

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