Orange-Scented Butternut Squash Soup

My delicious and creamy Orange-Scented Butternut Squash Soup is fall comfort food at its best! And it's packed with nutrients to boost your immune system and help fight off the flu. Serve a bowl of this hearty soup piping hot with some crusty bread on the side and dinner is set!

 

When summer ends and we transition to cooler days, I look forward to seeing the bounty of butternut squash popping up at the grocery store. I use butternut squash in a lot of recipes from chili to flatbread, pasta, and salad.

I love to roast butternut squash in the air fryer or oven. But probably my favorite way to use butternut squash is in soup. Its naturally sweet flavor and creamy consistency lends itself perfectly to soup.

My Orange-Scented Butternut Squash Soup uses just 10 ingredients and is so simple to make. I highlight the sweet butternut squash with aromatics like ginger and garlic. Orange juice adds a pop of bright flavor (and nutrients) and maple syrup adds a hint of sweetness.

And because butternut squash is so creamy, you don't need to add any cream to this healthy butternut squash and orange soup.

Is Butternut Squash Soup Good For The Flu?

Yes! This butternut squash soup with orange juice and ginger is packed with the disease-fighting antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Butternut squash is high in several vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins A, B-complex and C as well as potassium and magnesium to name a few. It's packed with beta carotene, which gets converted to Vitamin A in the body. One cup of cubed squash has 457% of the recommended daily allowance! 

Vitamin A is important for vision, immunity, growth and reproduction. Read my post about the health benefits of butternut squash.

Orange juice is an excellent source of vitamin C. One 8-ounce glass of orange juice provides more than 100% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. 

Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants that helps boost the immune system. It’s found in so many foods including oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, kale and broccoli.

Orange juice is also a good source of potassium, folate, and thiamine- nutrients that may help strengthen your immune system. 

As an Emergency Medicine doctor, I know that every year when winter rolls around, my shifts at the hospital are going to get a whole lot busier. That’s because it's flu season.

So it’s really important that I take precautions to protect myself and also to counsel my patients on how they can protect themselves against this highly contagious respiratory illness.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this butternut and orange soup:

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Ginger- nicely compliments the sweet butternut squash
• Garlic
• Butternut squash- you can take a short cut and buy pre-diced butternut squash; you can substitute pumpkin
• Vegetable or chicken broth- I use reduced sodium broth; stick with vegetable broth to keep this recipe vegetarian
• Maple syrup
• Orange juice- use a good quality freshly-squeezed orange juice
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Orange-Scented Butternut Squash Soup

• Step 1- Sauté onion, ginger and garlic in olive oil.
• Step 2- Add cubed butternut squash, vegetable broth, maple syrup, orange juice, salt and pepper
• Step 3- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until squash is fork tender, about 25 minutes.
• Step 4- Purée the soup with an immersion blender or traditional blender. Garnish and serve!

As a finishing touch, I like to top my soup with a swirl of tangy Greek yogurt or crème fraiche. If you're keeping this soup vegan, you can use coconut milk. I also add fresh cilantro, orange zest and some toasted pumpkin seeds for a delightful crunch!

What To Serve With Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is perfect served with some crusty bread on the side. You can try my Cauliflower Cheesy Bread or Pan Con Tomate.

You can also serve this orange-scented butternut squash soup with a nice salad on the side like my Roasted Butternut Squash Salad or a grain dish like my Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables.

Of course, a nice sandwich is also the perfect accompaniment to a hot bowl of soup. Try my Grilled Cheese with Avocado Pesto or Turkey and Cranberry Panini.

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Recipe

Orange-Scented Butternut Squash Soup

My delicious and creamy Orange-Scented Butternut Squash Soup is fall comfort food at its best! And it's packed with nutrients to boost your immune system and help fight off the flu. Serve a bowl of this hearty soup piping hot with some crusty bread on the side and dinner is set!

4.81 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Soups

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Dr. Sonali Ruder

Equipment

• ▢
  Blender

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• ▢ 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 ½ lbs), peeled and diced (5-6 cups)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ 3 cups reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup orange juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ Optional garnishes: Crème fraiche or Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro or parsley, pumpkin seeds, orange zest

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5-6 minutes or until softened. Add the ginger and garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.
• Add the squash, maple syrup, broth, orange juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer on low heat. Cover and simmer the soup until squash is fork tender, about 25 minutes.
• Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, puree the soup in batches in a traditional blender. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with desired toppings such as yogurt or crème fraiche, cilantro or parsley, pumpkin seeds and/or orange zest.

Notes

• The butternut squash can be roasted up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated until you're ready to make the soup.
• An immersion blender makes it easy to purée this soup in the pot. If using a traditional blender, be sure not to seal the lid tightly- you need to let the steam escape otherwise the pressure will build up.
• If you want to thicken the soup more, let it simmer on the stove after blending to reduce it a little.

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 844mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 20057IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg

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