Butternut Squash Soup with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic

Butternut squash soup with rosemary and roasted garlic is the perfect cozy fall soup. It’s smooth and creamy without the cream. Roasting the butternut squash and garlic intensifies the flavors and brings out a caramelized sweetness. You’re going to love this soup!

This is one of my favorite fall soups and I make it several times a year. I get so excited when I see butternut squash in the stores because I know it’s time for my favorite butternut squash soup!

This is such a wonderful fall soup. It’s smooth and creamy without using any cream or dairy. Roasting the butternut squash brings out a caramelized sweetness in the squash. And the roasted garlic is sweet and mild, but full of flavor.

There are only 8 ingredients and it’s an easy make-ahead soup. Combining steps, like roasting the garlic and butternut squash together, make the process easier. It tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had time to meld together.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Butternut squash: Roasting the butternut squash caramelizes it and brings out its natural sweetness.
• Olive Oil: For roasting the squash and sauteing the onions. You can use other oils like avocado oil or canola oil.
• Salt & fresh ground pepper: For seasoning. Sprinkle over the squash before roasting. Don’t forget to taste the soup and adjust the seasoning at the end!
• Garlic: Roasting garlic gives it a sweetness and mellows out the sharp garlic flavor.
• Rosemary: You can substitute the rosemary for thyme or sage.
• Onion: Adds another layer of flavor to the soup.
• Stock: I use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock because I find it to have a deeper, richer flavor. You can absolutely use vegetable stock to make this a delicious vegetarian and vegan soup!

Roasting the Butternut Squash

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Using a sharp chef’s knife, trim the ends of the butternut squash, and stand the squash upright so it’s resting on the flat bottom of the larger end. Then starting at the top, cut downward through the squash. Make sure you’re on a sturdy surface and be very careful!
• Using a large spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Don’t throw the seeds away! See my recipe for roasted butternut squash seeds.

• Place the squash on a baking sheet cut-side-up.
• Divide the garlic cloves and rosemary between the two butternut squash halves and place them in each cavity.
• Drizzle olive oil over the squash and use your hands to cover the entire cut-side (not the skin) of the squash with olive oil. Be sure to coat the garlic cloves and rosemary with olive oil as well. Season each half with salt and pepper.
• Flip squash halves over so they face cut-side-down on the baking sheet.

• Roast squash for about 40-60 minutes, until it’s fork tender and caramelized. You can check if it’s done by inserting a knife into the thickest part of the squash. If it comes out easily, the squash is done.
• Remove the butternut squash from the oven. Flip it over to cut side up and let cool.
• Remove roasted garlic cloves and set aside.
• Scoop out the squash flesh from the skin using a large spoon. Be gentle, the squash skin tears easily.

• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
• Add the onions to the pot and sauté until it turns a light golden brown.
• Add the squash and garlic to the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the squash caramelize while stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Stirring also helps break up the squash so it caramelizes more evenly.

• Add the chicken broth to the pot.
• Stir together and bring it to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let cool for a bit before you blend it.
• Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. It may take a couple of batches to blend everything. I use my Vitamix blender, but you can use a food processor or immersion blender.
• Garnish with roasted butternut squash seeds and serve.

Expert Tips

• Picking a good butternut squash – Look for a squash that’s dark beige in color without any deep cuts or bruises. A few scrapes or scratches are fine. The stem should be intact, and it should feel heavy for its size.
• Make it vegan – Just substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock and you have a wonderful vegan and vegetarian soup.
• Roast the squash and garlic in advance – Sometimes when I’m short on time, I’ll roast the squash and garlic the day before I plan on making the soup. I’ll scoop out the insides of the squash and put them and the garlic in the refrigerator until I’m ready to make the soup.
• Make a double batch and freeze it in single serving sizes. That way you can just grab as many servings as you need and save the rest for another day.

What to Serve with Butternut Squash Soup with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic

• Toast slices of French bread and smear some creamy egg butter on them!
• Makes a wonderful vegetarian meal when paired with my baked miso mushroom farro with garbanzo beans.
• Serve this soup with roasted chicken for a cozy, fall meal.
• Pickled beets add a tangy acidity that pairs deliciously with this soup.
• Make a side salad with pears and gorgonzola.
• Make a soup and sandwich combo with a melty grilled cheese sandwich.

What Can I Add to the Butternut Squash Soup with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic?

• Top the soup with roasted butternut squash seeds to add some crunchiness and salt.
• Sprinkle bacon pieces, parmesan cheese and/or chives on top.
• Drizzle of yogurt or heavy cream.
• Add some cayenne pepper or dried red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.

How to Store Butternut Squash Soup with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic

You can easily store this soup in an air-tight container, or a bowl sealed with plastic wrap. It will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Can I Freeze Butternut Squash Soup with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic?

Yes, this soup is easy to freeze and tastes great heated up. Transfer the soup to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to measure out single portion sizes and store them in separate freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Then you can pull out only the amount of soup you need instead of having to reheat the entire batch.

To reheat the soup, you can pull it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw out in the refrigerator overnight and then heat in on the stove or microwave. If I can’t wait overnight, I just cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the frozen block of soup directly into a large pot or Dutch oven and reheat on the stove.

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