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This creamy Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup is the perfect soup to enjoy with your lunch or dinner when you want to eat more veggies. There are only 323 calories in each serving, along with 16 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.
Quick Summary: Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup
- Why Make This Recipe: This flavorful and creamy butternut and broccoli soup comes together in one pot in just 30 minutes using simple ingredients, which is perfect for a weeknight dinner or meal prep.
- Nutrition: 323 calories, 16 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber
- Diet: Low-Calorie, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
- Time: 30 Minutes (10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of active cooking)
- Method: Stovetop
- Best for: Quick weeknight meals, using up fall produce, meal prep lunches, and cozy soup nights
- Tip: Simmer the squash until it mashes easily against the side of the pot with a fork, then blend the soup.
If you love creamy, cheesy soups like broccoli cheddar, you’re going to love this broccoli butternut squash soup! It’s creamy thanks to the butternut squash and low-fat milk, so it’s less heavy than a cream-and-cheese-loaded soup.
I add a swirl of blended cottage cheese for a boost of protein too! The soup comes together with one pot and a blender in just 30 minutes, so it’s great for dinner in a hurry.
If you like savory butternut squash recipes, you will love my sweet potato Brussels sprouts salad with butternut squash, crockpot risotto with butternut squash and this easy butternut squash hash recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy Without Cheese or Cream: Instead of using heavy cream, cheese, or a butter and flour roux, this soup gets its smooth and rich texture from the butternut squash and low-fat milk. This makes it lower in calories, while giving it the texture you love in a creamy soup.
- One Pot in 30 Minutes: Whip up a batch of soup for dinner in just 30 minutes in one pot on the stove.
- Bold Flavors: This butternut broccoli soup stands apart because it is bright and flavorful due to a blend of ginger, lime, and chili powder. That also makes the flavor versatile and works with a variety of other dishes.
Table of Contents
- Quick Summary: Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Variations & Dietary Modifications
- How to Make Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup
- Expert Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup Recipe FAQs
- More Healthy Creamy Soup Recipes
- Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- Butternut Squash: This squash has a sweet, nutty flavor and a creamy consistency when cooked, which makes it perfect for this soup.
- Broccoli: Not only is broccoli a great source of fiber, but it also makes this soup reminiscent of broccoli cheddar soup without the cheese and cream. If you love broccoli soup, you should also try my healthy broccoli soup recipe.
- Vegetable Broth: Use vegetable broth to keep this recipe vegetarian or use chicken broth if you prefer.
- Milk: Use a low-fat milk to help with creaminess and texture without adding excess fat and calories.
- Cottage Cheese: Blended cottage cheese swirled into your soup adds protein and that tangy cheese flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Make It Dairy-Free and Vegan: This soup is naturally vegetarian, but you can easily make it vegan and dairy-free by using a plant-based milk, like almond milk. You can also skip the cottage cheese or use a vegan cottage cheese, though plant-based cottage cheese contains less protein.
- Add More Protein: Stir in cooked Instant Pot shredded chicken or ground turkey to add more protein for a heartier soup. For vegetarians and vegans, add lentils or beans as a plant-based protein option.
- Lower the Sugar: The 31 grams of sugar in this recipe may seem high, but it is all natural sugar from the squash and the low-fat milk. However, if you need to decrease the amount of sugar, you can use unsweetened almond milk, like in my butternut squash sweet potato soup, to lower it.
How to Make Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup
This butternut squash and broccoli soup is the perfect soup starter for a dinner party or side dish to go with dinner. It’s ready in 30 minutes, and all you need is a soup pot and a blender!
- Step 1: Sauté the Aromatics. Cook the diced onion, bay leaves, and minced garlic and ginger in a large pot with the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent and tender.
- Step 2: Add the Other Ingredients. Add the butternut squash, broccoli, salt, pepper, chili powder, lime juice, and vegetable broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat
to low, cover, and simmer for 20
minutes, or until fork-tender.
- Step 3: Cool and Transfer. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the milk. Allow the soup to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a high-speed blender.
- Step 4: Blend. Blend the soup on high until it is smooth. Transfer it to your bowls or storage containers.
- Step 5: Prep the Cottage Cheese. Add the cottage cheese to a separate blender, or clean the blender you used for the soup.
- Step 6: Blend Cottage Cheese Garnish. Blend the cottage cheese until it is completely smooth. Divide it evenly between the servings of soup and swirl it in. Top your soup with sage leaves or pumpkin leaves as garnish.
Expert Tips
- Blend Hot Soup Safely: It’s important to be cautious when blending hot soups. Be sure to let the soup cool for 10 minutes before carefully adding it to the blender. Use only a vented blender to let steam and heat escape while you blend. You may need to blend the soup in batches to avoid overfilling the blender. You can also use an immersion blender to avoid transferring the soup between the pot and the blender.
- Adjust the Consistency: If your soup appears too thin after blending, you can bring it back to a simmer and allow it to cook down for a few more minutes to thicken. If the soup is too thick, add a splash of broth or a bit more milk to thin it to your desired consistency.
- Doneness of the Squash: You don’t want to blend undercooked squash or the soup will turn out lumpy. Be sure you can easily mash the squash into the side of the soup pot to ensure it is soft enough to blend.
- Storing & Reheating: Store leftover soup and cottage cheese mixture separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Reheat your soup over medium heat on the stove or in individual bowls in 60-second increments in the microwave. If the soup is separates during reheating, whisk it vigorously or reblend the soup to combine everything again. Be sure to thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
Nothing beats a bowl of warm soup on a rainy day, when the weather turns chilly, or when you need a comfort meal. This creamy butternut squash and broccoli soup is the perfect side dish to go with your lunch or dinner.
It doesn’t have enough protein to count as a full meal, but it’s great served alongside a protein main dish. It also makes a great starter for a dinner party or the holidays.
- Nothing beats dipping a slice of warm bread into a thick, creamy soup! This cauliflower bread is gluten-free and low-carb, and it tastes amazing with this butternut soup.
- Pair your soup with a light dinner of this sheet pan low-calorie cod for a full meal full of protein and veggies.
- Butternut squash dishes are perfect for the holidays! This soup can be the starter this holiday season, served alongside my high-protein green bean casserole and turkey breast made in the Instant Pot.
Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use frozen butternut squash and frozen broccoli in this soup! You don’t even need to thaw the frozen veggies before you add them to the pot.
While a high-speed blender keeps the blending process quick and easy, you can absolutely use a regular blender. Just be sure the blender is vented so steam and heat can escape as you blend. You could also use an immersion blender instead so you don’t have to worry about transferring the soup back and forth.
More Healthy Creamy Soup Recipes
If you tried this Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Butternut Squash Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or oil of choice
- 2 cups Broccoli Florets
- 4 cups Butternut Squash, diced
- ½ cup White Onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons Garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth, low sodium
- 4 cups Low Fat Milk, or milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ½ cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Instructions
- Place extra virgin olive oil in a large pot with minced garlic, onion, bay leaves and ginger. Bring to a medium heat and sauté the veggies until tender.
- Add the butternut squash, broccoli, salt, pepper, chili powder, lime juice, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer on low, covered 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves then stir in the milk. Let the soup cool 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth. Transfer the soup to bowls for serving or to store.
- Next blend the the cottage cheese and divide it evenly among four servings swirling the blended cottage cheese into each bowl. Top with pumpkin seeds and sage leaves for serving.
Notes
- Use a vented blender when blending hot soups to allow the steam and heat to escape as you blend. You can also use an immersion blender to avoid transferring hot soup between the stove and blender.
- Adjust the consistency by letting thin soup simmer for a longer amount of time or by adding more broth or milk to thick soup to thin it out.
- Ensure the squash is easy to mash with a fork before blending the soup to ensure it blends smoothly without chunks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Soup just gets better as it sits, so this sounds like the perfect make ahead lunch.
Congrats on the meal planning biz!!! So exciting!!
I agree. I actually like to freeze it for awhile for that reason.