Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

This roasted acorn squash soup is a cozy fall soup. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the squash and it’s then simmered into a creamy soup flavored with herbs. I love it with toasted bread on the side.

Updated from the archives. First published in November 2009.

I’d been meaning to revisit this acorn squash soup ever since I made it for the first time waaaay back in the ye olde days of this blog, also known as the fall of 2009, but it somehow slipped through the cracks the last few years. Probably because I was quite taken with its more popular cousin, butternut squash soup, a soup I make it at least once every fall.

So, I’m here today to rally for acorn squash. It has a bad rep in some circles – It’s difficult to peel! It’s stringy when you cook it! – both of which I don’t find to be true. When roasted, it makes a wonderful soup – buttery and lightly sweet – and the color is beautiful. As far as prepping the squash, I think it’s way easier to handle than butternut squash, which is bigger and more awkward.

So, it’s finally getting its day in the sun and I’m kicking myself for not bringing this cozy fall soup to the front sooner. Make it for lunch, or a light dinner or make it for Thanksgiving – just be sure to make it at some point this fall/winter season. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Recipe Highlights

• There are three main steps: roast the acorn squash, simmer all of the ingredients and puree the soup.
• You can roast the squash ahead of time if you want to spread out the work. None of it’s complicated but start to finish it takes just over an hour.
• It’s a vegetarian soup flavored with onion, garlic, and Herbes de Provence. It’s delicious in that simple form, but I like to add some cream just at the end for richness.
• A splash of apple cider vinegar, added just before serving, gives the soup a touch of brightness.

How to Roast Acorn Squash

Acorn squash is considered a winter squash because of the nutty and slightly sweet flavor. It gets its name from its shape because it looks like (surprise!) an acorn.

Roasting acorn squash serves two purposes: first, it brings out its natural sweetness and, two, it’s a whole lot easier to deal with when it’s nice and soft after roasting.

To prep your acorn squash (and you’ll need two for this soup recipe):

• Use a very sharp knife to slice the squash in half. The stem is pretty tough, so I like to slice it on one side of the stem (not through the stem).
• Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff inside and discard them.

To roast the squash:

• Place the squash halves skin-side down on your baking sheet. Rub some olive oil on the flesh.
• Roast the squash, flesh-side-up, for 20 minutes at 425°F. Turn the squash flesh-side-down and roast it for 20 minutes more.
• Once you can easily insert a fork into the flesh without much resistance, it’s ready.

Once it’s roasted, allow it to cool until you can handle it with your hands. I like to slice piece in half and then remove the peel. Roasting softens the skin and makes it very easy to pull it off.

I can eat the squash just like this, seasoned with just some salt and pepper. It’s so sweet and delicious when it’s roasted. But, we’re making soup so…

Once the acorn squash is roasted and peeled you can keep it in the refrigerator for two to three days. Or, you can freeze it up to three months.

How to Make the Soup

Once you have your roasted squash it’s time to make soup! Since the soup is pureed you don’t have to worry too much about chopping the onions and garlic. No perfectly diced veggies required! Slice the onions into chunks and roughly chop the garlic.

• Cook the onion and garlic with olive oil over medium heat until they start to soften.
• Add the roasted squash – I cut it into chunks before adding it to the pot. Give it all a good stir.
• Add the salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence which is a dried herb mix common in French cooking.

• Add vegetable broth and bring the soup to a simmer. Leave it be, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes or so.
• Puree the soup and then add some cream and fresh parsley. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and the soup is ready to serve.

You can make this soup ahead and keep it in the refrigerator, but if you want to freeze the soup I recommend leaving the cream out. It doesn’t freeze well. When you thaw and warm the soup to serve you can add it then and it will be delicious.

Garnishes

The soup is great all on its own, but adding a few garnishes makes it just a little more special:

• I made some Gruyere toasts to go on the side. Just slice a baguette, top each slice with shredded Gruyere cheese and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes. Or try some Parmesan crostini.
• For the soup, a drizzle of cream along with a sprinkling of grated Gruyere (or parm if that’s your choice) and fresh parsley adds a nice flavor, freshness and texture. Not to mention it’s purty.

I hope you love this acorn squash soup! It’s perfect for fall 🍂

Happy soup-making!

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The nutrition information in this recipe is an estimate only and was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.