Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Roasting butternut squash with onion and garlic gives this creamy soup a deeply savory-sweet flavor. Tahini adds richness without dairy, while warm spices, crushed hazelnuts, and a honey-tahini or maple-tahini drizzle add sweetness and crunch.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes or chunks
- 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 to 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper
- 6 tablespoons tahini, divided
- 2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup (to keep the soup vegan)
- 1/3 cup lightly crushed hazelnuts
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Prepare the vegetables. Arrange the butternut squash and red onion in a single layer on a large sheet pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil, about 3 tablespoons, and toss to coat. Spread everything evenly across the pan.
- Wrap the garlic. Place the garlic cloves on a small piece of foil and drizzle them with olive oil. Fold the foil closed and place the packet on the sheet pan.
- Roast. Roast for 30 minutes, until the squash is tender and cooked through with some nicely charred edges.
- Blend. Let the vegetables cool slightly. Carefully unwrap the garlic and transfer it to a large food processor fitted with a blade, along with the roasted squash and onion. Add about 2 cups of broth, taking care not to overfill the food processor, and blend until smooth. Work in batches if necessary.
- Simmer. Transfer the blended squash mixture to a large pot. Stir in the remaining broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and 3 tablespoons of tahini. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until warmed through.
- Make the tahini drizzle. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of tahini and the honey or maple syrup. Use maple syrup to keep the recipe vegan, if you like.
- Serve. Divide the soup among serving bowls. Drizzle each bowl with the sweetened tahini and finish with crushed hazelnuts. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For a vegan soup: Use pure maple syrup instead of honey in the tahini topping.
- Serving size: This recipe serves six or more as part of a larger meal. It serves about four as a main course with your favorite bread.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftover soup for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Store the tahini topping separately. Thaw frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently over medium-low heat, adding more broth if needed.
- Shop this recipe: Visit The Mediterranean Dish Shop for extra virgin olive oil, tahini, Aleppo pepper, and Greek honey.
Nutrition
Calories: 180.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.8g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 8.2g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Sodium: 208.4mg | Potassium: 560.4mg | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 9.4g | Vitamin A: 13348.5IU | Vitamin C: 29.3mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 1.8mg
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