Savory Tomato Butternut Soup
With two delicious flavors, Tomato Butternut Soup is a healthy and tasty addition to your fall table. Happy soup season!
I love all the pumpkin and winter squash recipes in fall! They’re almost universally tasty–plus you get a generous serving of healthy orange vegetables. The one downside is that a lot of them are pretty similar. And I love variety in my soups!
So I was excited when a recent book club meeting featured a Tomato Butternut Soup. It was delicious, unique and had the added benefit of delivering a healthy dose of tomato too. Add a veggie!
Our hostess got the recipe from the New England Soup Factory Cookbook and modified it slightly, as have I. The vegan (if you use a vegetable broth) soup starts with a mirepoix, a mix of carrots, celery and onion that is chopped fine and sauteed without browning.
It’s a common base for many soups since it’s known to deliver a big punch of flavor. And while the chopping prep sounds hard, a food processor makes it quick and easy. Which is perfect for getting out to catch the last glorious colors–or the joys of any season!
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. Not quite tomato soup, and not quite butternut soup, this combines the tasty flavors of both!
Healthy. Tomato Butternut Soup is loaded with a variety of healthy vegetables! And it can be vegan if made with a vegetable broth.
Unique. I truly love your all the classic fall soups. But sometimes a gal’s gotta have something new!
Step by Step Overview
(Skip this step if using canned pumpkin or squash.) If using fresh butternut (or another winter squash), cut in half, then remove seeds and stem. Set halves, cut side down in a 9 x 13 cake pan, then add about an inch of water. Bake at 350 F until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the flesh and set aside.
In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil, then sautee the diced onion, celery and carrots on medium heat until tender but not browned. Add the minced garlic and thyme, then cook a minute more.
Stir in the tomatoes, broth, sherry and reserved (or canned) squash flesh. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes for flavors to blend.
Add chopped basil, vinegar and preserved lemon or stock base (if using). Puree in pot using a stick blender, then adjust salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Tips & FAQs
This makes a lot of soup but it freezes beautifully. If you’d like to make less, you can hover over the number of servings in the recipe card and it will bring up a slider that will help you halve it!
Some brands of canned squash/pumpkin are thicker, that is more concentrated. If you use one that is very dense, you may want to start with 2 cans. You can always add the 3rd at the end if needed.
After the first frost, even basil growers may need to make a trip to the store if a recipe calls for fresh basil. My solution to this is to puree basil with olive oil and freeze in small containers (I use 4-ounce canning jars (link to freezing reference) to have when needed over winter.
This handy hack can become pesto with the addition of garlic, Parmesan and pine nuts (or walnuts). Or if can go into cooked recipes that call for fresh basil.
Simply Delicious Soup Recipes
- Hearty Vegetable Soup with Tuscan Sausage from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Italian Sausage & Orzo Butternut Squash Soup from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Roasted Fall Harvest Soup from That Recipe
- Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup from Creative Cynchronicity
- Soup Beans with Roast Pork from Palatable Pastime
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Tomato Butternut Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds butternut squash or pie pumpkin – or 2-3 15-ounce cans of either.
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled & diced
- 5 carrots medium, scrubbed or peeled, and diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 3 whole cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 28 ounces canned whole tomatoes or equivalent in fresh tomatoes, diced
- 6-8 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, depending on how thick you like your soup
- 1 cup sherry or white wine, or vermouth
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or ¼ cup of prepared pesto / basil oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 preserved lemon or 1-2 teaspoons stock base, such as Better than Boulion (vegetable or chicken) if needed for a flavor punch.
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- (Skip this step if using canned pumpkin or squash.) If using fresh butternut (or other winter squash), cut in half, then remove seeds and stem. Set halves, cut side down in a 9 x 13 cake pan, then add about an inch of water. Bake at 350 F until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the flesh and set aside.
- In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil, then sautee the diced onion, celery and carrots on medium heat until tender but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the minced garlic and thyme, then cook a minute more.
- Stir in the tomatoes, broth, sherry and reserved (or canned) squash flesh. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes for flavors to blend.
- Add chopped basil, vinegar and preserved lemon or stock base (if using). Puree in pot using a stick blender, then adjust salt and pepper.
I love that you combine tomato and the butternut squash. I’ve never thought of doing that, and it sounds fantastic.
So, I’m totally obsessed with butternut squash soup lately…and I just purchased another three large butternut squash this weekend. The idea of combining tomato and butternut squash to make a creamy soup, sounds absolutley amazing. This is one recipe that I definitely can’t wait to make!!!
It’s an easy obsession to develop! (I won’t tell you how many squash I have in the garage 🙂 )