Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup is a totally comforting soup to make when the weather outside is chilly!
This is a creamy soup recipe with simple flavors. There’s no chicken in it. No beef. No meat of any kind. It’s a vegetarian soup, unless you want to use chicken broth. Everything in the soup is puréed. A bowl of warm Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup is perfect for a fall or winter day. I suggest serving it with a side salad and a hunk of bread to make it a complete and filling meal.
What are the ingredients in this soup:
- olive oil
- onions and garlic
- carrot and butternut squash
- chicken or vegetable broth
- rice
- nonfat milk
- orange zest
- salt and pepper
How to make this Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup:
Onion, garlic, carrot and squash are all sautéed in olive oil until tender. Broth and rice are added in, and the veggies are simmered for 20 minutes. Once given a chance to cool a bit, the mixture is puréed in two batches. The soup purée is then combined with nonfat milk, orange zest, salt and pepper. At this point, you”ll re-heat it on the stove, and then it’s ready to serve.
About the rice:
The recipe calls for white rice. It’s cooked in the broth while the vegetables are cooking. If you use white rice, it’ll be cooked in 20 minutes. If you try to substitute a rice that needs a longer cooking time, the rice won’t be done cooking when the soup is done.
An alternative way to use rice in this soup is to add cooked rice to the soup after it’s all puréed. This will give the soup some additional texture since the rice won’t be puréed with the rest of the vegetables and broth. It’s totally up to you if you want to change things up.
What’s the texture of this soup like?
Carrot and Vegetable Soup is creamy and thick. Because it has such a nice texture to it, it’s a pretty filling soup… even though it’s made of vegetables!
Dietary tips:
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you will find a link for the WW Points for this soup on the recipe card at the end of this post. If you’re preparing this recipe as gluten-free, be sure to use a brand of broth that is known to be GF. For a vegetarian soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken.
It’s okay to make this soup ahead and keep it for a day or two. For servings, divide it into four bowls. It’s a good one to divide up, keep in the fridge and enjoy for lunch during the week. Enjoy!
Here are a few more recipes using butternut squash that you might like to try:
- Roasted Butternut Squash Gratin
- Butternut Squash Spread on Baguette Slices
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Salad
- Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
- Mashed Butternut Squash
- Kale Salad with Butternut Squash
- Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus with Toasted Pepitas
- Hassleback Butternut Squash
Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1⅓ cups chopped onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups (about 1 pound) shredded carrots
- 3 cups peeled and shredded butternut squash
- Two 14-ounce cans fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ cup white rice
- 1½ cups nonfat milk
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and squash; sauté 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the broth and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Place half of mixture in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Pour into a bowl; repeat the procedure with the remaining mixture. Return the pureé to the pan. Stir in the milk, and simmer until thoroughly heated. Stir in the orange zest, salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten free, just be sure to use a brand of broth that is known to be GF.
- If preparing this soup as vegetarian, use vegetable broth in this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
