Butternut Squash Soup with Cream Cheese
January 10, 2023
Butternut Squash Soup with Cream Cheese is a comforting and easy soup done in no time, especially if you roast the squash in the Air Fryer. This unctuous soup contains just a few ingredients: squash, cream cheese, garlic, olive oil and topped with a simple parsley oil.
This Butternut Squash Soup with Cream Cheese recipe is one of my personal favorite! Plus, the kids love it too! You can also use it as a sauce in pasta for babies and toddlers, to sneak in some veggies. It makes a nice and healthy version of mac and cheese. For the grown-ups, I’ve added Parsley oil to the soup, but it’s totally optional. A velvety soup, rich in flavour made under 6 ingredients and under 30 minutes!
Air Fryer to the rescue
To really bring the sweet, caramelized taste of butternut squash, you need to roast them up. The usual way would be in the oven, for about 30-40 minutes, but this time, I’ve used the Air fryer, which cuts the cooking time by half! Air fryers are a mom’s best side kick in my opinion… I use mine more than any other machine in the kitchen… I’ve left the instruction for squash roasting in the oven and Air fryer down in the recipe card.
Butternut Squash the star
No other soup gets this lovely unctuous texture naturally like the butternut squash! It’s a nutty and sweet veggie, plus so healthy. The cheese will bring in the sweet & sour combo we all love! Here are a few fun facts about our beloved Butternut Squash:
- In theory, Butternut Squash is not a vegetable but a fruit (a berry more precisely).
- Its name: Squash comes from Indian meaning uncooked or raw. Back in the day, I guess they would eat it raw…
- Strangely its skin is edible… never tried myself…
- Apparently, studies show Butternut Squash keeps lung cancer away! Thanks to its high amount of carotenoids.
- An excellent source of vitamins and minerals especially Vitamin A!
- Butternut Squash is a favourite of babies, being sweet and unctuous, babies cannot resist!
Variations
I went subtly on the spices for this particular recipe, because I like my good old friend; black pepper to bring in the spicy touch. If you feel adventurous, go on and try one of the zillion variations like adding cayenne pepper on top is a popular one, or a lovely thyme, ginger, paprika, marjoram, etc. This soup is adaptable to everyone’s needs and tastes.
Here are other versions of squash soups/meals from my other Food blog you might like;
- ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, LEEK AND FRIED SAGE SOUP
- BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BLUE CHEESE RISOTTO
- SPICED COCONUT PUMPKIN SOUP
Storage
You can keep this soup easily for up to 3-4 days in the fridge, but be careful when you reheat the soup, not to make it boil, otherwise, your cheese will curdle and form these unpleasant lumps. Please keep it on the stove at medium heat until fuming, no more. If you want to freeze it, go ahead, up to 4 months in the freezer.
Goes with
This soup would go perfectly with these:
Equipment
- Air Fryer optional
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash medium to big size
- 3 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 cups water
- 2 garlic clove
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Parlsey oil
- 1 tbsp parsley
- ½ garlic clove
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut the butternut squash skin off, then into cubes.
- Cook the lightly oiled cubes of squash and garlic into the Air Fryer at 180C° (350F°) for 18 minutes or until light brown. (In the oven at same temperature for 30-40 minutes)
- Blend in a food processor the cooked garlic, butternut squash, oil, water and cream cheese until you have a creamy texture.
- Adjust the seasoning.
- Make the parsley oil in a mortar or blender.
- You can serve the soup as it is or if you prefer reheat it in a big sauce pan, at medium heat just until fuming, if you boil it the cheese will curdle.
Video
Nutrition
7 Comments
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Bernice
This is such a simple, yet tasty recipe. I had some leftover and used it as a pasta sauce and it was also delicious that way. A keeper! -
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Sean
Ohhhhh dear, I think I might be in trouble here. I mean, I’ve always loved butternut squash, and I’ve been intrigued by the potential to use it to create something mac-and-cheese-ish, but it has never occurred to me to bring that tangy cream cheese kick right into the soup like this! The parsley oil is a spectacular addition too – parsley is seriously underappreciated as a flavour, and the bright/green taste pairs perfectly with the sweet richness of the soup. Love the whole thing – awesome work. -
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Kristen
This soup is really lovely. It is so simple, but still so flavourful. We served it with our favourite salad and a big old loaf of garlic toast and it was perfect. I saw a comment about using it as a pasta sauce and I am here for that too – that’s how I will try it next. What a versatile recipe.
what a lovely butternut squash soup! the cream cheese totally makes it more creamy and delicious! everyone loved it even the picky little monkey at home