One of the most requested recipes we’ve had is for the butternut squash soup from Blue Lemon, a fast-casual lunch and dinner spot in Salt Lake City. And while this mini-chain isn’t our first pick for a bite to eat, the butternut squash is delicious and some of the best soup in town (see our full guide to the best soup in SLC).
It’s a sweet, cinnamoney, Thanksgiving-in-a-bowl type of butternut squash soup. And the best part is, it’s incredibly easy to make. Make in just over 30 minutes this week for the easiest lunch or dinner. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash Soup
Make this sweet, cinnamoney, Thanksgiving-in-a-bowl type of butternut squash soup in just over 30 minutes for the perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Soup
- 2½ – 3 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks*
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt**
- 2 cups 2 cups chicken stock or broth (see notes if using broth)
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup brown sugar***
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Candied Pecan Topping
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Instructions
Soup
- Place squash in a large microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 14-15 minutes, until squash is soft enough for a fork or knife to easily go through.
- In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion, salt, and squash. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash begins to break down and there is some brown on the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Add broth and water to pot and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat. Add cream, sugar, spices, and vanilla, and cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Blend the soup in a blender until smooth (you may need to work in batches, or use two blender jars), and return soup to pot and bring to a simmer. Season with more salt or more brown sugar to taste if needed, and if too thick slowly add more water or chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved. Serve soup with candied pecan topping.
Candied Pecan Topping
- Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat and add pecans, brown sugar, and butter. Continuously stir together until sugar is melted and coats pecans. Pecans should be slightly toasted. If nuts are cooking too fast or sugar begins to burn, lower heat to low. Let cool in nonstick pan or on parchment paper until ready to use.
Notes
*You may peel, seed, and cut your own butternut squash for this recipe, but the extra cost to buy pre-peeled/seeded/cut squash is always worth it in our opinion. Make sure that the weight of the squash is 2 ½ – 3 lbs after peeling and seeding. **If using chicken broth instead of chicken stock, start with ½ teaspoon of salt and add more salt if needed after blending. ***The soup at Blue Lemon is incredibly sweet. We have found that ½ cup brown sugar is the perfect amount, but if you want your soup to be as sweet as Blue Lemon’s you may want to add more to your end result. Always taste before adding more. – The soup at Blue Lemon is made with both butternut squash and carrots, but we found that the recipe can be simplified and still taste identical with using butternut squash only.
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