Creamy Acorn Squash Soup (Ready in 30 minutes!)

Ingredients for Acorn Squash Soup

• Acorn Squash – you can use any sort of cooked acorn squash, whether you make it in the microwave, Instant Pot, or roast it in the oven
• White Onion & Carrot – Classic soup ingredients
• Garlic and Ginger – for great flavor and a bit of spice
• Stock – I used chicken, but you can use vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian
• Ancho Chile Powder & Cinnamon – for warmth and a touch of heat
• Heavy Cream – to make it so luxurious and silky
• Maple Syrup – to add a touch of sweetness
• Kosher Salt – an always needed ingredient for cooking

How to make creamy acorn squash soup

1. Cook the acorn squash. You can do this whichever method you prefer, as outlined below.
2. Sauté the vegetables and aromatics. In some olive oil until softened.
3. Add the cooked squash and stock. Bring everything up to a boil.
4. Puree the soup. Either in a blender or using an immersion blender.
5. Stir in the cream and maple syrup. This makes the soup so luxurious and just sweet enough.
6. Serve the soup! I like to add buttery croutons or hunks of crusty bread for textural contrast. Plus a little drizzle of cream and some fresh herbs for even more flavor.

Ways to Cook Acorn Squash

• Roasted in the oven – Roasting the acorn squash in the oven will lead to a greater depth of flavor, but does take longer. After an hour in the oven the squash will have lovely golden brown and caramelized edges that will add another layer of flavor to the soup. This is my preferred way of preparing the acorn squash for the soup, but it is the most time consuming.

• In the Instant Pot – Cooking acorn squash in an Instant Pot is a great method when using it for soup because you don’t need to add any extra fats or oils to the squash. It comes out perfectly tender and ready for soup in less than 20 minutes!

• In the microwave – The quickest cooking method, making acorn squash in the microwave takes just 10 minutes! You’ll need to add a little butter to the squash halves before cooking, but that will only make the soup that much more delicious!

How to Pureé Soup

With an immersion blender – Using an immersion blender is a quick, easy, and safe way to get a creamy, pureed soup. They aren’t usually as powerful as a countertop blender, however, so your soup may not be as ridiculously smooth compared to using the countertop version.

Using a blender – A high-powered countertop blender is the key to getting soups that are so unbelievably smooth, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to soup heaven. If using a countertop blender, you’ll likely have to work in batches, carefully transferring the un-blended soup from pot to blender and then back again. This will also mean more dishes, so just keep that in mind.

Blending scalding how liquids in a countertop blender can be dangerous, though! Only do this with the utmost caution, being sure the lid is on securely and a towel is over the blender before powering the machine on.

How to Freeze Creamy Soups

Freezing soups that have added dairy in them can be tricky. The dairy will often separate or curdle, and unfortunately, this soup is no exception. It’s best to freeze the soup before adding in the heavy cream, stirring it in later when serving. Here’s how to freeze this soup:

• Prepare the soup up to blending it smooth.
• Add the maple syrup, taste, and adjust seasonings.
• Cool to room temperature and place in air-tight containers or freezer-safe zip-top bags with the air squeezed out.
• Label with the contents and date and freeze for up to six months.

To Reheat Frozen Soup

• Remove the soup from the freezer and thaw in refrigerator overnight.
• Place pureed acorn squash soup in a large soup pot and heat until bubbling.
• Stir in heavy cream.
• Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.