This Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup is sweet with just a touch of spice and is perfect for the Fall and Winter months. Butternut Squash and roasted red peppers combine with onion, garlic and coconut milk in this creamy soup. It's comfort food in a bowl, and healthy too!
This Butternut Squash Soup uses coconut milk, which blends really well with all the flavors from the different vegetables. It can be made dairy free or with dairy if you prefer, so you have options.
The soup is so easy to make, with the hardest part being prepping the squash for baking. Plus, the soup only takes 1 hour to cook!
If you love healthy soup recipes, try my Turkey Lentil Soup, Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup, Tikka Masala Soup, Vegetable Rice Soup, and Chicken Meatball Soup.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It's healthy, but still packed with flavor
- This soup is pureed and tastes amazing next to a grilled cheese or any sandwich
- It can be made dairy free
- Super simple ingredients come together for this soup & it's great to make on a budget
For more budget friendly recipes, try my Meatless Baked Ziti, Broccoli Orzo and Baked Italian Sausage.
Ingredients:
Butternut Squash-Roasted into tender chunks, then pureed. Butternut squash is a winter squash with a thick skin, that has to be peeled in this recipe. If you want to save time and energy, you can buy it packaged in cubes already. It usually costs more this way, but it is an option. Try my Sauteed Butternut Squash too!
Roasted Red Peppers-One of my favorite jarred ingredients for cooking. They don't have any spice, but they have a bit of smokiness and lots of flavor.
Coconut Milk- Unsweetened, but it still brings in a touch of sweetness and so much creaminess to the soup.
Chicken Stock- Packed with flavor and helps thin the pureed veggies into a soup form. I highly suggest the Kitchen Basics brand if you can find it. If not, make sure to buy chicken stock instead of broth. It will give you a lot more flavor.
Red Pepper Flakes- Added for heat and texture. I like adding more over the top of mine at serving.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
Need a vegetarian version? Substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Not a fan of coconut milk? If dairy isn't an issue, use ½ cup of heavy cream or 1 cup whole milk.
For the butter, feel free to substitute with dairy free plant based butter, or 1 tablespoon of olive oil is fine too.
How to Make Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice through the center of the squash lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds.
Step 2: Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the thick light brown skin from the squash.
Step 3: Slice the squash into equally sized cubes and transfer to a cookie sheet, along with the peeled garlic and chopped onion. Toss in olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt.
Step 4: Bake for 30-35 minutes until the butternut squash is easily split in half with a fork.
Step 5: In a dutch oven over medium heat, add in the butter (or 1 tablespoon olive oil). Toss in roasted red peppers, butternut squash, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir together and cook for a few minutes.
Step 6: Pour in chicken stock. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Remove lid and turn heat to low. Let it sit for 5 minutes to cool off.
Step 7: Carefully immersion blend the soup until completely smooth. Alternative option: Blend in blender, but be very careful as the soup in extremely hot. Then return to pot.
Step 8: Pour in coconut milk and stir. Simmer on low until serving.
Step 9: Serve and enjoy! Optional: Add a little swirl of coconut milk and additional crushed red pepper to top. These homemade soup croutons or sautéed chickpeas would be delicious too.
Expert Tips:
- I find it easiest when peeling the butternut squash skin, to use a paring knife along with a vegetable peeler. Vegetable peel as much as possible and in certain spots that are hard to peel, use the knife. If this sounds miserable, buy it pre-prepped from the grocery store.
- When immersion blending, be extremely careful, as it likes to splash.
Love squash recipes? Try my air fryer butternut squash, sautéed delicata squash, air fryer acorn squash, mushroom zucchini pasta, and Zucchini Ricotta Rolls.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! It's low in calories and high in vitamins, like Vitamin C, which we could all use more of during the winter, aka flu season.
Sandwiches and salads pair great with butternut squash soup. Try a simple grilled cheese, my Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt, or garlic bread in the air fryer. For salad ideas, check out this Roasted Pear Salad or Southwest Chicken Salad.
Store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Absolutely! Allow it to come to room temperature, then seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Soup Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 large bowls 1x
Description
This Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup is sweet with just a touch of spice and is perfect for the Fall and Winter months. Butternut Squash and roasted red peppers combine with onion, garlic and coconut milk in this creamy soup. It's comfort food in a bowl, and healthy too!
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized butternut squash
- ½ yellow onion, cut into large chunks
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter (regular, dairy free or 1 tbs olive oil based on dietary restrictions)
- 1-12 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes + additional for serving
- 32 ounce container of chicken stock
- 1 cup canned coconut milk (unsweetened)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice through the center of the squash lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds.
- Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the thick light brown skin from the squash.
- Slice the squash into equally sized cubes and transfer to a cookie sheet, along with the peeled garlic and chopped onion. Toss in olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the butternut squash is easily split in half with a fork.
- In a dutch oven over medium heat, add in the butter (or 1 tablespoon olive oil). Toss in roasted red peppers, butternut squash, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir together and cook for a few minutes.
- Pour in chicken stock. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Remove lid and turn heat to low. Let it sit for 5 minutes to cool off.
- Carefully immersion blend the soup until completely smooth. Alternative option: Blend in blender, but be very careful as the soup in extremely hot. Then return to pot.
- Pour in coconut milk and stir. Simmer on low until serving.
- Serve and enjoy! Optional: Add a little swirl of coconut milk and additional crushed red pepper to top. These homemade soup croutons would be delicious too.
Notes
- I find it easiest when peeling the butternut squash skin, to use a paring knife along with a vegetable peeler. Vegetable peel as much as possible and in certain spots that are hard to peel, use the knife. If this sounds miserable, buy it pre-prepped from the grocery store.
- When immersion blending, be extremely careful as it likes to splash.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: soup
- Method: oven roasted
- Cuisine: American
Lisa
Love this soup! Such great flavors!
Tara Smithson
Thank you, me too! Love these flavors.