Acorn Squash Soup is irresistibly smooth, creamy, and delicious. Made with healthy veggies like oven-roasted acorn squash, carrots, celery, and cauliflower and then blended with fresh garlic, ginger, and a touch of ground cinnamon, grab a bowl and get cozy with a bowl of this easy acorn squash soup. Vegetarian & Gluten-Free.
Preheat the oven - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the acorn squash for roasting - Using a sharp, sturdy chef's knife, cut the acorn squash in half from stem to tip. Don't try to cut the stem in half, cut around it. Use a metal spoon to scoop and scrape out the seeds and stringy bits from the inside of the squash until it is smooth. Place the squash halves cut-side-up on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the entire surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake - Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes or until the tops are nice and golden brown and the squash flesh is soft and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool before handling.
For the Acorn Squash Soup
Cook the root vegetables - Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until the onions soften and turn translucent. Add the carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes and mix well to combine with the onion. Cover and continue to cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often.
Add the cauliflower- After approximately 10 minutes or so, once the vegetables have had a chance to start softening, stir in the garlic and ginger and sautè for approximately 1 minute. Add the cauliflower florets and mix well to combine. Add the fresh sage, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
Add the broth and roasted acorn squash, and simmer - Add the water or vegetable broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow vegetables to simmer for approximately 15 minutes. In the meantime, scoop the soft flesh from the roasted acorn squash and transfer to the pot. Continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Blend soup - Once all the vegetables have softened, remove from heat and grab a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. Working in batches, fill your blender approximately half full with the acorn squash and broth mixture and blend until completely pureed. Pour your pureed soup into a new pot. Repeat until all the vegetables have been pureed into soup.
Season to taste - Over low heat, stir in the 1/2 cup of half-and-half and season with salt, pepper, and additional cream to taste. Stir often to prevent soup from burning.
Serve - Serve with all your favorite toppings including homemade croutons, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, fresh herbs, shredded cheese, bacon bits, or pomegranate arils, if desired.
Notes
Ingredient Notes:
Acorn squash - You will need three medium or two large acorn squash to make this recipe. The exact weight or amount isn’t super important, however, I always buy extra rather than less since the leftovers of this soup are so good. Unfortunately, I have yet to find pre-chopped or canned acorn squash puree, so feel free to substitute acorn squash with butternut squash or pumpkin if needed.
Carrot, celery, onion - Also known as a mirepoix, these vegetables are first sauteed before being boiled and pureed. They contribute loads of sweet and savory notes to the soup.
Sweet potatoes - I usually add only a couple of small sweet potatoes to a large pot of soup. Sweet potatoes strengthen the sweet undertones and contribute to the overall creaminess of the soup.
Ginger and Garlic - Don't worry about chopping or mincing either of these super small before cooking since they'll be pureed with the rest of the soup. I do, however, recommend smashing them with the side of a knife to start the breaking-down process.
Fresh sage - Sage and acorn squash go hand-in-hand. Feel free to add it or leave it out.
Ground cinnamon - Not too much. After all, we don't want to overpower things, but a little ground cinnamon adds a nice warm touch.
Vegetable broth or water - I’ve used water, vegetable broth, and chicken broth. All make a wonderful soup.
Cream - Creamer of any kind (half-and-half, heavy whipping cream, etc) is completely optional. You can add it to the whole pot, to individual serving bowls, or add none at all. Coconut milk is a great vegan substitute for cream.
Recipe Notes:
The broth or water should reach just below the top of the chopped vegetables - in other words enough for all the vegetables to cook in the broth.
For soups like this one, you can't really overcook your vegetables, so no need to set a timer for 30 minutes exactly. As long as all the vegetables are nice and mushy, you're good to start blending.
You may want to let your vegetables and broth cool slightly before blending. If you're in a hurry, make sure to only fill your blender halfway and pulse before blending. If your mixture is too thick or you're having trouble blending, don't hesitate to add more vegetable broth until you reach your desired consistency.
The soup will thicken after cooling. Add additional vegetable broth or water as needed to reach desired thickness when reheating.
Nutrition information does not include suggested toppings.