Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Pecans
Rating: 5 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup pecan halves, divided
- 5 lbs (2.26 kg) butternut squash (about 2 large)
- 1 lb (454 grams) apples (about 2 large)
- 2 large yellow onions
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes or ground chilies
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Tamari
Instructions:
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F. While the oven heats up, scatter the pecans on a small baking sheet and toast them for about 6-7 minutes. Set aside a scant ¼ cup of the toasted pecans for garnishing the soup and roughly chop them. The remaining ½ cup will be blended with the soup.
- Prepare the Ingredients: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or use 2 medium sheets). Peel and dice the butternut squash into 2-inch chunks. Core and dice the apples. Roughly chop the onions. Add the diced squash, apples, and onions to the baking sheet. Peel the garlic and slice the ginger. Add them to the baking sheet as well. Sprinkle with chili flakes and drizzle with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly and spread out into an even layer.
- Roast the Ingredients: Roast the squash, apples, onions, garlic, and ginger until soft and slightly browned at the edges, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Blend the Soup: Transfer half of the roasted squash mixture and half of the toasted pecans to an upright blender. Add 2 cups of chicken stock. Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Pour the blended soup into a large pot. Repeat with the remaining roasted squash, pecans, and stock.
- Season and Serve: Stir in the apple cider vinegar and Tamari. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more salt, vinegar, chili, etc., if necessary. Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat. If the soup is too thick, add water to achieve the desired consistency. Serve hot, garnished with the reserved toasted pecans.
Equipment:
- Blender
Recipe Notes:
- You can use a mixture of butternut squash and honey nut squash for variation.
- Save some pecans for garnishing the soup.
- Consider garnishing with chili crisp, maple syrup, extra black pepper, or sage leaves for additional flavor.
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes mins
Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes mins
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup pecan halves divided
- 5 lbs (2.26 kg) butternut squash (about 2 large)
- 1 lb (454 grams) apples (about 2 large)
- 2 large yellow onions
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes or ground chilies
- ¼ cup olive oil
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Tamari
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scatter the pecans on a small baking sheet and let them toast while the oven heats up, for about 6-7 minutes. Set a scant ¼ cup of the pecans aside for garnishing your soup and chop them up roughly. You’ll be blending the remaining ½ cup with the soup.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or 2 medium).
- Peel the squash and remove the seeds before dicing into 2-inch chunks. Place the diced squash on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Peel and core the apples and then dice them into chunks as well. Add them to the baking sheet. Peel the onions and chop them roughly. Add them to the baking sheet.
- Add the peeled garlic, sliced ginger, chili flakes, and olive oil to the baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat everything evenly and then spread out into an even layer. Slide the tray into the oven.
- Roast the squash, apples, and onions until soft and browning a bit on the edges, about 40-45 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
- Transfer half of the roasted squash mixture to an upright blender. Add half of the toasted pecans to the blender and 2 cups of the chicken stock. Blend this mixture on high until smooth, about 1-2 full minutes. Pour the blended soup into a large pot. Repeat this process with the remaining roasted squash, pecans, and stock.
- Once you have all the blended soup in the pot, stir in the apple cider vinegar and Tamari. Give it a stir and check the seasoning. Adjust if necessary (more salt, vinegar, chili, etc.). Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add some water to thin it out. Serve the soup hot with toasted pecans on top.
Equipment:
- Blender
Recipe Notes:
I used 2 medium butternut squashes and one small honey nut squash in these photos. Using purely one of either type or a mix like I did is great! As long as you have about 5 lbs total.
Once toasted, ½ cup of the pecans goes into the blended soup while the remaining ¼ cup is saved for garnish.
I love to also garnish this with a mixture of: chili crisp, drizzles of maple syrup, extra black pepper, and little sage leaves from the plant in my garden. Of course, it’s delicious with just the pecans too!
My Vitamix blender pitcher holds 8 cups, so I can blend this soup in 2 batches. Adjust accordingly for your blender. Because of the pecans, I do not recommend a stick blender here.
I used Macintosh apples that were slightly tart. The level of sweetness and acidity worked perfectly here. Granny Smith or Paula Red are also good choices.