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This roasted butternut squash soup blends sheet-pan roasted squash, beefsteak tomatoes, onion, and a whole head of garlic into a creamy bowl. Greek yogurt and either cream or Garlic & Herb Boursin add richness, while the spices keep the flavor warm and savory. This squash soup stays firmly savory, with roasted tomatoes, smoky paprika, garlic, and tangy Greek yogurt.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Savory rather than sweet: This butternut squash soup with tomatoes gets its flavor from beefsteak tomatoes, garlic, smoked paprika, turmeric, and chili flakes. It is rich, savory, and definitely not your typical sweet squash soup.
- Creamy with two options: You can finish the soup with either 10% cream or Garlic & Herb Boursin. The cream lets those veggies and spices shine, while the Boursin brings its own garlicky, herby flavor.
- The veggies roast together: The veggies and garlic all go onto one sheet pan. The crispy chickpeas get their own baking sheet afterward so they can roast until crunchy.
- It has TEXTURE: I love creamy soup, but I need a little something on top! Crispy za’atar chickpeas and feta give you that salty, crunchy finish that makes every spoonful more interesting.
Key Ingredients
Butternut Squash
You’ll need one small-to-medium butternut squash, around 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. One of my favorite things about this roasted squash soup is that you don’t have to peel and chop the raw squash. Cut it in half, remove the seeds, and roast it in its skin. Once it’s tender, the flesh scoops right out.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Beefsteak Tomatoes
The beefsteak tomatoes aren’t just hanging out in the background here; we use SIX! They provide liquid and acidity while adding so much roasted tomato flavor to the soup.
Greek Yogurt and the Creamy Finish
There are two layers to the creaminess here. First, we have ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, which brings tang and richness. Then, you can choose between ½ cup 10% cream or one package of Garlic & Herb Boursin.
Smoked Paprika, Turmeric, and Chili Flakes
These three ingredients do a lot for the recipe. The smoked paprika adds a smoky depth, turmeric adds warmth and earthiness, and chili flakes give the soup a little extra kick. Together, they make the soup so savory and delicious!
Za’atar Chickpeas
The chickpeas are seasoned with olive oil, kosher salt, za’atar, onion powder, and garlic powder before being roasted separately until crisp. Keep them out of the soup until serving so they stay crunchy.
Cream or Boursin: Which Should You Use?
You have two options for making this a creamy roasted butternut squash soup, and both start with ¼ cup of Greek yogurt.
10% cream adds richness while keeping the roasted squash, tomatoes, garlic, and spices front and centre. If you want the vegetables to really lead the flavor of the soup, this is the more straightforward option.
Garlic & Herb Boursin adds creaminess too, but it also brings its own garlic, herb, and cheese flavors. This gives the soup a more seasoned, cheese-forward finish.
Why Roasting the Vegetables Builds More Flavor
Roasting the vegetables in dry oven heat helps some of the moisture in those juicy tomatoes evaporate and concentrate. At the same time, the squash, onion, and garlic can begin to brown, which gives the finished soup way more depth than you’d get from simply boiling everything.
The squash goes cut-side down so the flesh has broad contact with the hot pan while its skin protects the other side. And don’t rely only on the timer here. You want the squash to be fork-tender and the vegetables to be soft and starting to turn golden.
I use a similar sheet-pan approach in my sheet-pan roasted red pepper and tomato soup, but this roasted butternut squash soup has its own personality thanks to the squash, Greek yogurt, smoky spices, creamy finish, and crispy chickpeas.
How to Get a Smooth, Creamy Soup
How we get this soup really silky is by controlling how much liquid you add instead of dumping everything into the blender at once.
Let your roasted veggies cool slightly first. Then scoop the squash flesh from its skin and squeeze those softened cloves of roasted garlic right out of their papery skins.
Start with 1 cup of vegetable broth when blending. Once everything is completely smooth, decide whether it actually needs more. Depending on your squash and the size and juiciness of your tomatoes, you can add up to another cup.
You’re looking for a soup that’s smooth and pourable but still thick enough that those crispy chickpeas can sit on top instead of immediately sinking.
Remember to follow your blender manufacturer’s instructions for hot liquids. Vent the lid if required and work in batches if needed for your particular blender.
Getting the Chickpeas Crisp
Those chickpeas are not just a garnish.
Make sure the drained and rinsed chickpeas have room on the baking sheet rather than being piled on top of each other. You want them roasted until they’re crisp so they create a real contrast against that silky soup.
Don’t add them until you’re ready to eat. If you’re not serving all of the soup at once, keep the remaining chickpeas separate rather than stirring them into the soup.
Troubleshooting
This butternut squash tomato soup is pretty simple, but the size and water content of your vegetables can make a difference. Here are a few things to look for:
- The squash is still firm: Keep roasting. Since the squash can range from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, timing will vary. You want a fork to slide easily into the flesh.
- The vegetables aren’t browning: Make sure everything has enough room on your sheet pan. If the vegetables are packed tightly together, they’ll steam rather than brown.
- The soup is too thick: Add more vegetable broth while blending, staying within the recipe’s total of 1 to 2 cups.
- The soup is thinner than you wanted: Tomato size and adding the full 2 cups of broth can both affect consistency. This is why I recommend starting with only 1 cup and adding more gradually.
- The dairy looks separated: Keep the heat gentle when warming your soup. You want it hot, but don’t let it come to a hard boil.
- The soup isn’t smooth: Keep blending in your high-speed blender until you’ve reached that silky consistency, always following your blender’s instructions for hot liquids.
- The chickpeas got soft: Add them only when you’re ready to eat and store any extras separately from the soup.
What to Serve with Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This butternut squash soup makes such a cozy lunch, light dinner, or starter. I love serving it with warm, fluffy Greek pita bread or a good piece of crusty bread so you can scoop up every last bit.
The crispy za’atar chickpeas are my go-to topping, but you can also finish each bowl with about a tablespoon of crumbled feta, a little drizzle of cream, and freshly ground pepper.
Try my roasted tomato soup next. And for even more ideas to get you through soup season, I’ve rounded up more cozy soup recipes for you too.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover soup in an airtight container (once cooled) and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months. Keep leftover crispy chickpeas separate from the soup so they maintain their texture rather than soaking up moisture from the soup.
FAQs
No! For this recipe, halve and seed the squash, place it cut-side down, and pierce the skin before roasting. Once the flesh is fork-tender and cool enough to handle, simply scoop it from the skin and add it to the blender.
Yes. Roasting concentrates the squash and gives the surface time to brown before blending. For this recipe, I roast it alongside beefsteak tomatoes, onion, and a whole head of garlic before blending everything with Greek yogurt, broth, and either cream or Garlic & Herb Boursin.
The six beefsteak tomatoes add acidity, liquid, and so much savory roasted flavor that balances the squash. This is very intentionally a squash-and-tomato soup rather than a sweeter squash soup built around ingredients like maple, apple, or cinnamon.
You can use ½ cup 10% cream for a simpler dairy finish or one package of Garlic & Herb Boursin for a more seasoned, cheese-forward flavor. The soup also includes ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt with either option.
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Ingredients
For the sheet pan
- 1 small-medium butternut squash (about 1.5-2.5 lbs, halved, seeds removed, pierced on top before roasting)
- 6 beefsteak tomatoes, score an X at the stem top of each (or you can cut them in half)
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled halved and quartered
- 1 large head of garlic whole, not peeled, cut in half
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For blending
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 – 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup 10% cream or 1 package Garlic & Herb boursin cheese
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
For the topping
- 14-15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp za’atar
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Optional: crumbled feta cheese
- Optional: drizzle of cream
- Optional: ground pepper
Instructions
Start Cooking- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- To a large baking sheet (line with parchment paper if desired) add the halved butternut squash, scored (or halved) tomatoes, quartered yellow onion and halved head of garlic.
- Drizzle the olive oil and salt over everything on the sheet pan and gently toss to coat everything on the pan – put the butternut squash cut side down and pierce the skin a few times. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until everything is tender and starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- When the vegetables are done cooking, increase the heat to 425F. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper and add the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to a medium baking sheet and season with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp za’atar, ½ tsp onion powder and ½ tsp garlic powder and toss to combine. Spread the seasoned chickpeas out on the baking sheet and bake the chickpeas for 25-30 minutes or until crispy and then remove from the oven. Set aside when done.
- While the chickpeas cook, scoop the cooked butternut squash out from its skin and add to a blender along with the roasted tomatoes, onion and squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skin. Add the yogurt, 1 cup vegetable broth, cream (or boursin cheese), salt, pepper, chili flakes, ground turmeric and smoked paprika. Blend on high in a high speed blender until everything is combined. Taste and adjust thickness by adding up to 1 cup more of vegetable broth to thin the soup further if desired.
- Pour all of the soup into a large pot and warm on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve the soup in bowls garnished with the crispy chickpeas and about 1 tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese per bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil and/or cream if desired.
Notes
- If you love this recipe, try our Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
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