It’s a batch prep kind of day in my kitchen, so I’m making Instant Pot shredded chicken, ranch dressing, croutons and a big pot of butternut squash soup.
After many, many attempts, I’ve finally landed on a recipe I love – it’s creamy, savory, sweet, and absolutely delicious with little bits of crispy bacon on top. When I have them on hand I also add a drizzle of cream or coconut cream and fresh pumpkin seeds for a little crunch.
You’ll find instructions below for making two versions below: The oven/stovetop version tends to be a smidge sweeter thanks to the caramelized roasted veggies, and the Instant Pot version tends to be smoother. Both are truly delicious, pinky swear and everything.
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe (Stovetop or Instant Pot)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cubed – roughly 8-10 cups)
- 1 small yellow onion (coarsely chopped – about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1 green apple (core removed and roughly chopped)
- 5-8 garlic cloves (peeled)
- ¼ cup avocado or olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2½-3½ cups chicken broth or water
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Optional Toppings
- bacon crumbles
- heavy cream or coconut cream
- dollop of sour cream
- fresh herbs (minced parsley, sage or rosemary)
- gluten-free croutons or crusty bread
- raw or toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instrucitons
- Place veggies, salt herbs and 2½ cups chicken broth in the Instant Pot.
- Set pressure to high for 8 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot is finished cooking, you can set the valve to quick release (I recommend using a long handled spoon to turn it) or allow it to vent naturally.
- Turn the Instant Pot off and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If desired, add more chicken stock to thin it out. (We like ours thick so I rarely add any.)
- Ladle into bowls, add toppings if desired, and serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop as needed.
Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Divide the butternut squash, carrots, onion, apple and garlic between two large baking dishes. Drizzle the mixture with olive/avocado oil (2 tablespoons per baking dish) then sprinkle 1 tsp salt over each baking dish and toss to combine.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the baking dishes from the oven and transfer the veggies to a large pot.
- Add 3 cups of chicken broth and use your immersion blender to roughly puree the veggies so that they’re fully submerged in the liquid.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the soup from heat and puree again until smooth.
- Ladle into bowls, add toppings if desired, and serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
More Comfort Food Recipes To Try
Corn-Free “Cornbread” – This grain-free “cornbread” is so satisfying that I that I don’t even miss regular cornbread. Actually, I think I like this recipe better because it’s pretty much mistake-proof.
Chicken Pot Pie – This homemade chicken pot pie is gluten-free (and dairy-free optional) and FULL of flavor. It can be made into five mini-pot pies or one big pot pie casserole. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken And Rice – Creamy, cheesy and garlicky, this easy chicken and rice is a kid favorite.
