A Creamy Butternut Squash Soup, that has no dairy! Warming and healthy, the perfect soup for fall and winter. And it's one pot and fairly easy!
This Creamy Butternut Squash Soup, with No Cream, comes from my desire to make dairy free soups for those in my family who are lactose intolerant.
Years ago there was a little neighborhood French restaurant where we would get the most luscious creamy vegetable soups: cream of carrot, cream of celery, cream of asparagus; you name it, that French chef made beautiful cream soups.
The secret was, they had no cream in them!!! The restaurant is now closed and I crave those yummy, creamy, HEALTHY soups.
Ruth Reichl's Gourmet Cookbook (by the way, my "go-to" cookbook for just about ANYTHING) has a wonderful recipe for creamy butternut squash soup, sans the cream!
So of course, I had to try to make my own. The Granny Smith apple adds a little sweet-tartness, and the potatoes are for thickening. this is the perfect combination of flavors.
You probably already have almost everything required to make this a meatless meal tonight! Serve it with some crusty bread and butter and you will have a happy family.
If you use the vegetable stock, this is a vegetarian soup...and it's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free!
Perfect for those holiday gatherings where you may have a lot of different diets, just about anyone will be able to eat this. And I promise you, everyone will LOVE it!
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup...with no cream!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
- ½ pound russet potatoes
- 1 large Granny Smith apple
- 1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it!
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, to make it vegetarian
- 2 amaretti cookies, finely crushed, for garnish. If you don't have these or don't want the sweetness, leave them off.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium pan (about 4 quarts) over medium-low heat.
- Add the chopped celery, carrot, and onion, and cook, until translucent and tender, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- While the vegetables are cooking, peel the potatoes, and rough-cut them into small cubes, ½ to ¾ inch.
- Peel, seed and roughly chop the apple.
- Add the potatoes, apples, squash, red pepper flakes, and sea salt to the saucepan containing onion mixture.
- Stir in the water and the stock and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer the soup until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.
- Purée the soup either using an immersion blender (stick blender) or purée in batches in a regular blender. (Be sure to remove the center of the blender cover and hold a towel over the hole while blending, this will allow some of the heat to escape. Otherwise, you run the risk blowing the top off the blender and decorating your ceiling! Yikes!)
- Add more water or broth if the soup is too thick.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with the crushed amaretti cookies.
Anna
Hi Lon, we will definitely be picking up a couple of Ruth Reichl's novels, thanks for the Gr8 tip!
Claudia Kerns
Can't wait to make this recipe and share with friends. Ruth Reichl's novels are at the top of my list of favorites. For you and your great8friends, if you love food and cooking, treat yourself to her novels!! I hate for them to end.
This recipe is delicious!
Anna
Hi Brenda! You can make it even easier by purchasing the butternut squash already cut in cubes! Can't wait to hear how it goes.
Brenda Perlin
I love that this soup has no cream. Perfect for Thanksgiving since everything else is so rich. Thank you. Saving.