Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup
This easy roasted butternut squash and red pepper soup is the perfect recipe for when the weather is just starting to turn. Cozy and ever so comforting, it's made with minimal ingredients and ready in just over an hour.
If there is one vegetable that is symbolic of colder weather, cozy hot meals, and hearty wholesome winter food, it's the butternut squash. And if there is one meal that perfectly fits that bill, it's soup. We roast the red peppers, butternut squash, vegetables, and garlic before adding a few pantry staples such as vegetable stock and a swirl of cream for a simple and extremely satisfying soup. The perfect winter home-cooked meal!
For more butternut squash goodness, make sure you've also had a look at my viral butternut squash feta pasta creation (I also made another version with Boursin), this super creamy butternut squash pasta, and this alternative to red pepper, squash and sweet potato soup.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This butternut squash and red pepper soup is the perfect introduction to cozy, cold season - one of my favorite times of year, even if I do love the sunshine! It's wonderfully creamy and comforting, mainly thanks to the butternut squash and a dash of cream to bring it all together.
I first developed this recipe in 2021 when I was pregnant and batch-cooked a bunch of nutritious recipes to keep in the freezer - this soup genuinely never got old. I've since updated the recipe a little to add in some more veg - carrots for a bit of sweetness, and tomatoes and onion for more depth. Plus a red chilli if you like a bit of spice in your soup! The result is the same delicious, vibrant soup but with a much deeper flavour (and a massive nutrient boost!).
What You'll Need To Make This Soup
Make sure you've scrolled down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for the full ingredient quantities and recipe instructions. Below, I've included a few notes on the ingredients used and potential substitutions if you can't find one of the ingredients!
In terms of equipment, you'll need a roasting tray (I've used this one from Amazon over and over again for years!) and then either a blender like a Nutribullet or - my preference for making a big batch of butternut squash and red pepper soup - a hand blender, also known as an emulsion blender.
Ingredient Notes
Here are all the ingredients you'll need (as noted, the exact quantities are listed at the bottom of this page. After you make this recipe a few times, however, you'll just start to eyeball everything!).
- Butternut squash: The star of the show. You should be able to find butternut squash at most times of the year. You could potentially substitute for a pumpkin (and add pasta for pumpkin mac and cheese!) or any other type of squash. Halve the squash lengthways and scoop out the seeds before roasting.
- Red peppers: Red peppers are a must for the vibrant colour of this soup and for achieving the delicious spicy-but-sweet flavour that we all know and love for red pepper dishes.
- Carrots, Onion, Tomatoes: The additional veg that my new and updated recipe adds in. These are roasted alongside the butternut squash and red peppers for a lovely deep flavour - the red pepper and squash still dominate, but this trio adds so many gorgeous undertones.
- Garlic: I roast the garlic for this dish for the extra flavour it adds (so good if you haven't tried it!).
- Vegetable stock: I use the Kallo vegetable stock cubes mixed with hot water to make my vegetable stock. You could use ready-made vegetable broth if you prefer.
- Olive oil: I think olive oil adds the best flavour to this recipe, but use whatever oil you have/prefer.
- Red chilli or red pepper flakes: For spice! I add a whole red chilli to the pan to be roasted, and remove the stems and seeds before blending. Butternut squash and chilli go so well together, but feel free to omit if you want a milder soup!
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper are all you really need for this recipe, although if you have fresh rosemary available, adding this to your roasting tray and then blending it with the vegetables (minus the stem) gives the soup a lovely wintery taste.
For toppings, I love the contrast between the mild and creamy soup with toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of cream or even coconut cream.
How To Make This Easy Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup
Step 1) Roast the Butternut Squash, Red Peppers and Vegetables
To start, halve your butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Then, place the squash and the whole red peppers on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Wrap your bulb of garlic in foil and drizzle with a little more olive oil (the foil prevents it from burning) and add to the tray. Add your carrots, chopped onion, and quarted tomatoes to the pan too.
Place the tray in your preheated oven and roast for 45 minutes. At this time, you might need to remove the red peppers (the skins will be blackened) and allow the butternut squash to cook a little longer, especially if it's a large squash.
Step 2) Scoop Out The Butternut Squash Flesh & Blend Everything
Take the tray out of the oven and let all the vegetables cool for 10 minutes.
Then, scoop out the flesh from the skins and remove the skins from the red peppers (plus de-seed the chilli if using) and add the vegetables in a large saucepan with the roasted garlic (squeezed out of the skins - use as much as you like! I go for 3-4 cloves), the vegetable stock, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, and blend with a hand-held blender.
Step 3) Warm the Soup & Add Toppings
Add the cream and stir it through the soup, then warm the soup on low heat until it's hot, then add your toppings. Here, I've used a good quality extra virgin olive oil, another drizzle of cream, and toasted pine nuts along with some fresh chopped parsley.
Toasted cumin seeds are also a nice touch!
Top Tip for De-Seeding Your Butternut Squash
A little hack I always recommend is using an ice cream scoop to remove the seeds from your squash - it makes it so much easier than attempting to use a spoon.
No need to peel your butternut squash - just halve the squash length ways (from root to bottom) and scoop out the seeds before roasting.
What to Serve with This Soup
- Thick, crusty bread with butter (the classic)
- Warm flatbreads for dipping
- Grilled cheese sandwich for dipping - the ultimate comfort combo
- A simple green salad for a lighter meal
Storage and Batch Cooking
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. This is one of the best soups for freezing - the texture holds up perfectly. Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating.
- Batch cooking: Use a larger squash and add extra peppers and stock to make a big batch. Freeze in individual portions for grab-and-go lunches.
- Reheating: Reheat gently on the stove. Add a splash of water or stock if it's thickened in the fridge.
FAQs
Acorn squash, pumpkin, or even sweet potato would all work. Butternut squash gives the creamiest, silkiest result.
Yes - the soup is still delicious without it, just less velvety. For a vegan version, use coconut cream or cashew cream instead.
Yes, for convenience. Use about 200g of jarred roasted peppers and skip the pepper-roasting step. The flavor won't be quite as deep but it saves time.
Leave the seeds in the red chilli, or add a pinch of cayenne pepper after blending. A drizzle of chilli oil on top also works beautifully.
Roasting caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables, which gives the soup a much deeper, richer, more complex flavor than boiling. It's the difference between a good soup and an incredible one.
Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup
An easy, healthy, and flavourful roasted red pepper and butternut squash soup finished with a kick of chilli, and topped with toasted pine nuts, cream, and extra virgin olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 2 red peppers, halved de-seeded
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, quartered
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 1 red chilli
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 100ml heavy cream
Topping:
- 2 tablespoon cream
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 handful chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.
- Halve your butternut squash lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash and your red peppers on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil.
- Wrap the garlic in foil and a little oil. and place it on the tray along with the chopped onion, carrots, and tomatoes. Make sure the vegetables are coated in the olive oil, and then season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 1 hour at 200C | 390F or until the squash is cooked.
- Remove tray from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool for 10 minutes. Discard the red pepper skins, and scoop the butternut squash out of the skins. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin. Use as much roasted garlic as you prefer - I tend to use about 3 cloves/2 tbsp.
- If using a red chilli, de-seed it and discard the stem.
- Add the vegetables to a saucepan along with the vegetable stock. Adjust any seasonings according to your own preferences.
- Use a hand blender to blend everything together until smooth and then swirl through the cream,
- Heat gently on low heat for 5 minutes. .
- While the soup is heating, add your pine nuts to a clean, dry frying pan and dry-toast with for 3 minutes on a high heat - be careful not to let them burn!
- Serve the soup with a swirl of cream and oil and scatter over the seeds and chopped parsley. Serve with bread or on its own!
Notes
If you don't have a stick blender, you could blend in batches using a stand blender. Make sure the soup isn't too hot when you do this
I used a small butternut squash for this recipe, which gave me two large servings of soup - it would probably stretch to three if using this recipe as a starter. To make this soup in larger quantities, just use a bigger butternut squash and add 1 or 2 more red peppers with extra stock.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days, or freeze in batches and defrost fully before reheating.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 411Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 690mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 13g
I added more spices and loved, loved loved it! Thank you