Creamy Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Creamy butternut squash apple soup brightened with turmeric and apple cider vinegar is a tasty way to use up the season’s bounty and eat more vegetables.
There is something so soothing about warming my cold hands by wrapping them around a bowl of hot soup. It’s like a hug that starts in your fingertips then jumps straight to your belly.
Since we cannot control the way these cooler temperatures keep coming back this spring, a big bowl of this creamy butternut squash apple soup is just the comfort I need to break up my day and keep me going.
With only nine ingredients, creamy butternut squash apple soup is rich and velvety without being too heavy or complex.
Like most vegetable soups, the creation process is fairly straight forward: chop, boil, puree, season, and serve. If you prefer chunky soups, you can even skip the puree part and save yourself the step of cleaning the blender!
The most challenging part of making this soup is chopping up the butternut squash into 1/2 inch chunks. Butternut squash, being the fantastic winter squash that it is, should be left growing on the vine until fully ripened. If properly cured and stored, they will last up to 6 months in their whole form. The thing that gives them such a long shelf life is their thick, pumpkin-like skin.
When cooking with butternut squash, the thick skin has to be cut off in order to get to the tender orange flesh below.
You will need a heavy, sharp knife as well as a bit of patience. If you are lacking either of those I recommend checking the packaged foods area of your produce section. You can often find butternut squash that has already been peeled, chopped, and packaged, which works great in this recipe as well.
Once your butternut squash is chopped and measured, grab a granny smith apple, core it (peeling is optional) and dice it into pieces roughly the same size as the squash.
Place the squash and apple into the bottom of a heavy, lidded pan – a 6 quart dutch oven works well. Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock, add 1/4 tsp of both salt and pepper and turn the flame to high.
Once the soup begins to boil, place the lid on top and drop the flame to medium low. You want it hot enough to cook the vegetables without burning or cooking off too much of the liquid. Set the timer for 30 minutes and stir it occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
After 30 minutes check the butternut squash by piercing with a fork. If the fork slides in easily and the chunks of butternut squash break apart, then they are done.
If they are still firm cover and cook a little longer, checking every 3 – 5 minutes. Make sure to check the squash and not the apples, because the apples cook much faster and will probably be close to mush by this point.
Remove the pan from the heat, grab your favorite stick blender and carefully puree the soup. When shopping for a stick blender, look for something that has a metal, not plastic, blade and blade housing.
NOTE: If you prefer, you can use a standard blender or food processor, but be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions for blending hot foods. Some of today’s high end blenders are built to withstand the heat, but many standard blenders will require that you cool the soup prior to blending.
Once pureed place the pot back over the flame and turn the flame back to medium low. Add in the heavy cream, apple cider vinegar, powdered ginger, turmeric, and salt then stir to combine.
I use about 1 teaspoon of salt in this step, but only because I use homemade, unsalted, chicken stock. If you are using salted, or even low sodium chicken stock be sure to taste it before adding the extra salt.
Bring the soup to a boil for about 2 minutes to allow the cream to thicken, then hold over low heat until ready to serve. This soup pairs wonderfully with my Grandma’s Cornbread for a light dinner, or match it up with a grilled cheese sandwich for a fun soup and sandwich lunch.
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Creamy Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash (about 1 whole)
- 1 apple Granny Smith
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (unsalted)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt* (divided)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
Instructions
- Peel butternut squash and chop into 1/2 inch chunks. Measure after chopping.
- Core and chop apple into 1/2 inch chunks.
- Place the squash and apple into the bottom of a heavy, lidded pan. Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock, add the pepper and 1/4 tsp of salt. Turn the flame to high.
- Once the soup begins to boil, place the lid on top and drop the flame to medium low. Set the timer for 30 minutes, stirring it occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- After 30 minutes check the butternut squash by piercing with a fork. If the fork slides in easily and the chunks of butternut squash break apart, then they are done. If they are still firm cover and cook a little longer, checking every 3 – 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, grab your favorite stick blender and carefully puree the soup.
- Place the pot back over the flame and turn the flame back to medium low.
- Add in the heavy cream, apple cider vinegar, powdered ginger, turmeric, and additional salt* then stir to combine.
- Bring the soup to a boil for about 2 minutes to allow the cream to thicken, then hold over low heat until ready to serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
It may be spring, but until it is scorching hot outside, I will absolutely enjoy a delicious bowl of soup! I’m loving the squash and apple combo in this! Sounds amazing!
I feel the same! I still need something to keep me warm until summer really hits! I’m glad you like it!