Healthy Autumn Squash Soup
Amazingly flavorful, this Healthy Autumn Squash Soup Recipe is a copycat of Panera Bread’s Creamy Squash Soup! Loaded with vegetables, and butternut squash and pureed into a creamy, luscious texture, this cozy coup is dairy-free, vegan, and easy to make!
Panera Bread Copycat Recipe for Autumn Squash Soup…
The first time I tasted Panera Bread’s autumn squash soup, I fell in love! But when I searched for the ingredients to make this soup, I was not happy with the Panera Bread version, it had too many unwanted ingredients and a lot of dairy.
So I decided to come up with my recipe to make the copycat version of Panera Bread’s autumn squash soup.
While other copycat recipes are loaded with butter, sugar, and cream, I can assure you, our version is not!
This creamy soup is loaded with only veggies, vegetable broth, and some seasonings! No butter, no sugar added, and no heavy cream – what’s-so-ever!
Since my kids were babies, I have been pureeing my soups forever. I mean, how else could a mother of four get them to eat healthy veggies without nitpicking at every little vegetable they didn’t like?
So this creamy soup was easy to come up with my own “copycat version” of Panera Bread’s recipe for their seasonal autumn squash soup. And I think it is DANG GOOD!
It’s loaded with a lot of vegetables, including butternut squash and pumpkin puree, and it makes a huge pot of this lusciously smooth soup, enough to feed your family and freeze some. 😉
The taste is SO amazing!! It’s perfect.
The vegetables in our version along with both squashes are what make it very flavorful.
They contain natural sugars that release while cooking, making this soup sweet and savory without adding additional ingredients.
This soup has a creamy smooth texture with a flavorful bite with every spoonful. I think it’s the perfect soup for a cool autumn night.
What is the Secret to Making this Soup so Flavorful?
Keep in mind, the only prep work needed to make this soup is peeling and chopping the vegetables. The rest is easy!
- The secret to making this squash soup so flavorful is the way we saute the veggies together, before any liquid is poured in.
- This method allows the vegetables to saute and infuse their wonderful aromas and flavor into one another.
- It has always been our method of pre-cooking the veggies before any liquid is added, and it’s consistent with most of our soup recipes, like our Creamy Butternut Squash Potato Soup, and our Healthy Butternut Squash Zucchini Soup.
- It’s also loaded with butternut squash and pumpkin puree.
- Additional flavor comes from a few spices and seasonings. It’s best to make sure all your spices and seasonings are fresh and not expired. It’s equally important to check the expiration date on each jar, and replace them when needed.
Ingredients Needed for our Autumn Squash Soup…
- olive oil – to saute the vegetables.
- vegetables – celery, carrots, onion, and garlic cloves.
- butternut squash – I found a package of pre-cut butternut at Trader Joe’s.
- pumpkin puree – you need 1 (15-ounces) can. Or you can use homemade pumpkin puree with this recipe.
- potatoes – one sweet potato and one Idaho potato.
- herbs – freshly parsley and bay leaves.
- liquid – vegetable broth and water.
- spices and seasonings -ground turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- NO beans required – I didn’t need to add any beans to this soup.
How to Make our Healthy Autumn Squash Soup…
Step 1: In a large soup pot or a large Dutch oven, add olive oil.
Step 2: Then as you chop each vegetable, toss them into the pot. Turn on medium heat. Continue to chop fresh vegetables and toss them in. Toss in the fresh parsley too.
Step 3: Cover with the lid, and saute the vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Next, pour in one cup of water and the pumpkin puree. Stir to combine.
Step 5: Also, pour in 2 cups of vegetable broth. Add in the seasonings: cayenne pepper, ground turmeric, salt, and 2 bay leaves. Cover and raise the heat to “high” and bring the entire mixture to a “full” boil. Then reduce the heat to “low” and simmer the soup, covered for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or more.
Step 6: Finally, fish out and remove the bay leaves. Then puree the soup using a hand-held immersion blender, or a traditional blender (see my notes below on How to Puree Soup).
Our ingredients may be pantry staples but the flavor in this squash soup is nothing less than amazing!
What Sides to Serve…
There are so many options to serve with this soup, from sandwiches to salads. Try any of these:
- Cheesy Mini Biscuits – Jim N Nicks Copycat
- Grilled Cheese and Pear Sandwich
- Healthy Apple Bok Choy Salad
- Mozzarella in Carrozza (Italian fried cheese sandwiches)
- Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Great Options to garnish our Squash Soup…
You can garnish the soup with a few options to choose from or with anything you may like:
- With a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds (roasted pepitas), or sunflower seeds for some crunch.
- You can drizzle and swirl with some coconut yogurt cream on top.
- Toss a couple of croutons over each bowl for additional crunch and flavor.
Q & A …
1. Can I use Frozen Butternut Squash?
Yes, certainly. No need to thaw either, just toss them into the pot to saute.
2. Can we Freeze Squash Soup?
Yes, you can! First, be sure to allow the soup to cool completely before storing it in a sealed container. Then store the container in your freezer and freeze for up to 2 months.
3. How Do We Puree Soups?
There are two methods to pureeing soup into a creamy, smooth texture.
- One method is to use an immersion hand-held blender and you must use it at the lowest speed. And puree it slowly moving around, while it is submerged inside the pot. This will help prevent the soup from splashing any hot liquid outside of the pot.
- The second method is to use your blender. And you must puree the soup ONLY in small batches and with the lid on top. Plus, you must puree the soup also at the lowest speed. Hot liquid can make the cover of the blender pop off, if there’s too much soup to blend, causing a mess.
- Then return the pureed soup to the pot and serve it warm.
Healthy Autumn Squash Soup is loaded with so much flavor everyone will ask for more! Silky, smooth, and has great flavor with every spoonful.
Your family and friends will LOVE this soup! A great soup to serve on Thanksgiving too.
Best of all, it’s healthy ...but don’t tell them, no need to spoil the fun!
It’s positively delicious! But don’t take my word for it… you’ll have to try this soup yourself.
ENJOY!!
Other Healthy Soups for you to try…
Healthy Autumn Squash Soup
Healthy Autumn Squash Soup Recipe is our copycat to Panera Bread's creamy squash soup, only this one is loaded with vegetables, and 2 kinds of squash, butternut, and pumpkin. Then it is pureed into a creamy, luscious soup that is loaded with flavor, vitamins, and nutrients. Dairy-free, vegan and delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 stalks of celery (about 2 cups) - chopped
- 3 medium carrots (2 cups) - peeled and chopped
- 12 ounces (3 cups) of chopped butternut squash
- 1 large onion (2 cups) - chopped
- 2 garlic cloves - chopped
- 1 sweet potato (1.5 cups) - skin peeled and chopped
- 1 medium-size Idaho potato (1.5 cups) - shin removed and chopped
- 2 Tbsp. freshly minced parsley
- 1 cup of water
- 2 cups organic pumpkin puree (15-ounce can)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Step 1: In a large soup pot or a large Dutch oven, add olive oil.
Step 2: Then as you chop each vegetable, toss them into the pot. Turn on medium heat and continue to chop fresh vegetables and toss them into the pot. Toss in the fresh parsley too.
Step 3: Cover with the lid, and saute the vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Next, pour in one cup of water and the pumpkin puree. Stir to combine.
Step 5: Also, pour in 2 cups of vegetable broth. Add in the seasonings: cayenne pepper, ground turmeric, salt, and 2 bay leaves. Cover and raise the heat to "high" and bring the entire mixture to a "full" boil. Then reduce the heat to "low" and simmer the soup, covered for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or more.
Finally, Fish out and remove the bay leaves.
Step 6: Then puree the soup using a hand-held immersion blender, or a traditional blender (see my notes below on How to Puree Soup).
Serves 8
Notes
As the soup cools down, it will continue to get thicker. Just pour in some water, about 1/2 cup each time to your preference.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 6gCarbohydrates: 27.8gFiber: 6.1gSugar: 8.6gProtein: 4.2g
Don’t forget to PIN and Share! …thanks again!
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 cup | |
| Servings: 8 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 171 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 6g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 830mg | 36% |
| Total Carbohydrate 27.8g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber 6.1g | 22% |
| Total Sugars 8.6g | |
| Protein 4.2g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 76mg | 6% |
| Iron 3mg | 18% |
| Potassium 795mg | 17% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a |
Wow! This was SO creamy I loved it and so light!
So glad you enjoyed our recipe. Thanks so much!
Wow!! This soup is amazing. So easy to make and totally encapsulates the sense of fall!
So glad you enjoyed it! thanks so much, Brooke!