Yes, another butternut squash soup recipe, I know. There are so many butternut squash soup recipes out there especially at this time of year, but this one is so good folks, you have to give it a try! 

I’ve been wanting to make this new version ever since I had a creamy butternut squash soup from Whole Foods  recently.  Boy was I surprised how delicious it tasted.  This soup called Aromatic Butternut Squash Soup was so good I almost finished the entire carton!

A thick orangey colored soup like so many squash soups out there is what I was expecting, but surprisingly this was more on the thin side, pale yellow in color and delicious. I was planning on having very little as Whole Foods soups usually lack in flavor, but they must have changed chefs because this version was outstanding.

About the recipe

There’s nothing fancy really in the soup – squash, onions, celery, ginger, garlic, vegetable broth and cream.  I did notice that their vegetable broth was made with lots of good stuff – like marjoram, dill, bay leaves, thyme, mustard seeds, carrots, mushrooms, and turnips.  The veggie stock is what made the soup taste so good.  I did try to replicate their soup and you know what?  It turned out great!  Here is the recipe.

Aromatic Butternut Squash Soup
with inspiration from Whole Foods Deli

Ingredients:

• 1lb butternut squash cut into chunks
• 1 large white onion finely cut
• 1 fennel bulb finely diced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1 big rib of celery finely cut
• 2 inch piece of ginger finely grated
• Vegetable broth – 5 cups
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• In a spice mill make a spice and herb blend of 1 tsp dill, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp celery seeds.
• 2 Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup cream

Directions:

In a large pot warm 3 tbsp olive oil.  Add the onions and fennel and shallow fry until onions are tender and slightly browned on the edges.  Next add the garlic and ginger and stir in.

Now add the celery and butternut squash, the herb spice blend, salt and pepper, bay leaves, and brown sugar. Stir everything together. Let the veggies cook for 5-10 minutes.  Then add the veggie broth and continue to cook the veggies until they are completely soft, about 15 more minutes.

Get ready to blend the soup.  Remove the bay leaf and then puree until smooth.  Be careful when blending as the soup is hot!! Blend in batches and  place the pureed soup back in the pot.  Add cream and stir in.  Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.  Bring soup to a low boil.  Soup is ready!  Serve warm with extra black pepper.

Happy Fall Everyone! 🍁🍂