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The coziest bowl of Creamy Butternut Squash Sage Pesto Soup. With golden brown butter, sage, and crispy bacon too! YUM! Roasted butternut squash, sweet yellow onions, garlic, fresh sage, and thyme are roasted with butter until soft and caramelized. Puree this into a creamy soup with a touch of cream, pesto, spices, and sharp cheddar cheese. SO delicious! A little bit of bacon on top makes this even yummier!
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I know I say this repetitively, but this is really the most special time of year. The weather, the lighting, the yummy food, warm drinks, sweet desserts, the engaging TV shows (Gilmore Girls on repeat), and the excitement for the looming holiday season—there is so much to love.
I really am happiest this time of year. I find I have the most inspiration and excitement during the autumn months. Even with all the back-to-back travel and busy schedules, I feel so happy and excited to share everything with you all, from the new cookbook to new product launches and recipes!
Today, I have the most special soup. I made it mostly because my mom loves a bowl of soup, and she’s been feeling a little off since returning from Europe. Soup is so comforting and often a great healer.
Mom usually loves broccoli cheddar or creamy chicken noodle soup. Or, actually, when I was a kid, she would make a creamy rice soup and put popcorn on top. She loves that. She’s such a pro, and when it comes to fall foods, she knows what’s best.
I suggested a butternut squash soup to her weeks ago, but last week finally felt like the time to make it. Our weather has been the most perfect: sunny days with mild temperatures and then cold at night. And the colors are magical right now—similar to this soup, actually!
I made this soup, and we all fell in love. It’s a great soup to make all season long. I may even add it to my Thanksgiving menu!
Here are the Details
Ingredients
- salted butter or olive oil (but I like butter best)
- butternut squash
- onions
- fresh sage and thyme
- whole garlic cloves
- bacon (omit if vegetarian)
- broth (I use bone broth)
- chipotle chile powder, smoked paprika, and nutmeg
- maple syrup
- heavy cream
- basil pesto
- flour or cornstarch
Equipment
- food processor, blender, or immersion blender
- soup pot
- sharp knife and cutting board too, of course!
Step 1: roast the squash
Take a butternut squash and cube it. Or cut into wedges as I did. I want to note that I only did this for photos and find it easier to roast the squash as cubes.
Toss the butternut squash with butter or olive oil. Add onion wedges, whole sage leaves, fresh thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Then add whole garlic cloves. Roast until the squash is tender and the garlic is golden and caramelized.
Step 2: cook the bacon
While you have the squash in the oven, get the bacon crispy on the stove. Do this in the pot you plan to simmer the soup in. No need to create extra dishes!
Set the bacon aside for topping.
Step 3: puree the squash
When ready, puree everything on the sheet pan in a food processor or blender. Scrape any butter left on the pan into the food processor—this will add even more flavor!
Puree until creamy, then pour the squash puree into the soup pot.
Step 4: finish the soup
Add broth, chipotle, paprika, cayenne, and maple to the butternut puree. Once it’s steamy, mix in the cream and pesto.
Now, toss shredded cheddar cheese with cornstarch and add it to the soup. The cornstarch will prevent the cheese from clumping.
Step 5: serve
You can start serving once the cheese is melted and the soup is steamy! Ladle the creamy soup into bowls. You can swirl with cream or add cheddar to the top of the soup. We love a handful of sharp cheddar. It melts over the soup and is perfect with the crispy bacon!
Then Mom says she recommends beer bread. We believe every soup and chili recipe should be served with beer bread in the fall. It is a Gerard staple. It is our favorite.
I’m looking forward to having this soup stashed in the freezer and possibly even adding it to my Thanksgiving menu this year!! I was so happy with how YUMMY it turned out. If you’re serving this for dinner, definitely add my harvest salad to your menu!
Looking for other butternut squash recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza
Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Sage Butter and Prosciutto Breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Butternut Squash Sage Pesto Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Butternut Squash Sage Pesto Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter or olive oil
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 yellow onion cut into wedges
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- salt and black pepper
- 8-12 cloves garlic
- 6-8 slices bacon, chopped , (omit if vegetarian)
- 4 cups broth
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 cup heavy creamy
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons flour or cornstarch
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. On the baking sheet, toss together the butter, butternut squash, onion, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the garlic cloves. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the squash is tender and the garlic is golden. 3. Meanwhile, in a soup pot, cook the bacon until crispy, then remove and set aside for topping. 4. When ready, add the roasted butternut squash, onions, garlic, herbs, and any butter left on the sheet pan to a food processor/blender. Puree until smooth. Pour the puree into the pot used for the bacon. 5. Set the pot over medium heat. Add the broth, chipotle, paprika, nutmeg and maple. Bring to a simmer, then add cream and pesto. Toss the cheese with cornstarch, then add to the soup. Simmer until melty. 6. Ladle the soup into bowls. Add a swirl of cream or shreds of cheddar. Then top with bacon and sage. And done! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi. I’d be making this soup for myself. Is it something that will turn out well if I halve the recipe? Thank you.
Hey Deb,
You bet, that will work nicely for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
If I want to make this ahead can it be easily reheated or stop at a certain spot?
Hey Amy,
Totally, this is great to reheat on the stove top. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
silly question( maybe) do I peel the squash before roasting?
thank you.
Hey Ann,
Not silly at all, I did not peel the squash before roasting, you can just easily pull the skin off after. I hope this helps! xT
This was great! We ended up making another double batch the same night for lunch and leftovers. The bacon was a great addition to this super savory dish.
Hey Tabitha,
Yay! So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! Have a great day! Xx
Fabulous! After roasting the butternut squash, I made it all in my vitamix. Worked great (no cornstarch, either).
Hey Michele,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Hope you are enjoying fall! XxT
Very tasty!!!
Hey Anna,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Hope you are enjoying fall! XxT
quick question, do you drain the bacon fat? I didn’t notice that you said what you did.
Hey Clarissa,
I did not, but if you have a lot you totally can. I hope you love this recipe! xT
Made this soup for our family Thanksgiving dinner (I live in Canada) yesterday. Everyone was raving about how good it was and my fil said it might be the best soup he has ever eaten. I made a double batch and everyone asked to take some home so they could enjoy it again today. My niece asked for the recipe so she can make it again as well. It definitely became a favourite
Hey there,
Happy fall Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out well for you:) And happy thanksgiving! XxT
This has really strong competing flavors, maple, basil pesto, sage, thyme, nutmeg, chipotle chili powder, bacon. I kept trying to figure out what tasted weird, I think it was the maple/basil/nutmeg combo. Just don’t mesh well.
Hi Piper,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! XxT
I wanted a cozy fall soup and this definitely hit the spot! My only complaint was that the blending step was a lot more involved than I thought it would be based on the instructions- I had to add liquid/water to get it to properly blend, next time I may just use an immersion blender to save on dishes. But flavor is delicious!
Thanks so much for making this recipe, Kayla! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
What would u use as an equivalent to bone broth?
Hi Tina,
For this recipe, you could use veggie broth or chicken broth, both will work nicely for you. I hope this helps! xT
Tina, I used 50% vegetable broth 50% chicken broth and it turned out really good 😋
What happens without the corn starch? I’d like to leave it out.
Hi Amy,
The cornstarch helps to prevent the cheese from clumping, you could also use flour if you want to omit the cornstarch. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
In the recipe you say to blend everything on the pan with the squash in a blender. Then the picture shows what appears to be cooked sage leaves. Should I be roasting more leaves than the recipe says or keeping the roasted leaves out for topping the soup?
Hi Kathey,
I added extra sage for garnish, that is totally optional:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Do you eat the whole sage leaves? I’m always confused by this, seems like sage is always left whole. Do you remove them before consuming?
Hey Sarah,
You do not have to eat the sage, it just adds flavor, but you can eat around it. I hope you love this recipe! xT
What do I do with basil pesto? Is it just a garnish? This sounds absolutely delish! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much, Teresa:) You are going to add the pesto in step 5. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
What happens without the corn starch? I’d like to leave it out.
Hi Amy,
The cornstarch will prevent the cheese from clumping, you can also use flour. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I know I am going to love this! My favorite Roman dish is butternut squash ravioli in brown butter and sage and I love soup, so can’t wait to try.
Thanks so much! Let me know if you try this soup, I hope you love it! xT
Why did you leave a star rating if you haven’t made it? That’s extremely misleading to other readers.