Butternut Squash Lasagna Soup – Learn how to easily peel and cut a butternut squash and make the perfect squash soup that is thick, hearty and cheesy!
Butternut Squash Soup:
This is one of my all time favorite recipes that has graced this blog! One of the first recipes I ever posted back in November 2016, it was time to give it a loving facelift. My take on a traditional butternut squash soup, and man is it amazing. A super cozy meal in one and it’s so cozy for fall. Lot’s of butternut flavor with tender noodles, white beans, and cheesy goodness. Once you know how to peel a butternut squash, you’ll be on your way in no time. I know this can be intimidating for some people, so I am including step by step photos of the process below, it’s simple! If you’re looking for more soups while you’re here, try out our Crockpot Potato Soup and our reader fave, Chili Macaroni Soup!
How to Peel Butternut Squash:
This is a really easy process if you follow these steps! There is a photo collage for reference below the directions. Squash can be tough ones to cut into, but it’s worth it. First things first, make sure you have a very sharp/sturdy chef’s knife on hand!
- Start by laying your squash on its side on a large cutting board. Slice 1/4 inch off of the top, and 1/4 inch off of the bottom and discard those end pieces. Doing this allows you to sit your squash upright.
- At this point, you can go ahead and peel your squash with a sturdy vegetable peeler, or wait for my tip in the next step. If peeling now, hold the squash firmly in one hand and peel from top to bottom. Stand your squash up on one end. Make a cut completely through the middle so that you have two halves.
- Now, I actually think it’s easier to wait and peel the squash after it is cut in half. Simply hold one half at a time in your hand firmly and peel in downward strokes. Use a large metal spoon to scoop all of the seeds and pulp out.
- Now lay your squash halves flat, cut side down on your cutting board.
- Slice each half in half again so that you have four pieces of squash.
- Slice each piece of squash into “sticks” the side where you removed the seeds will be thinner sticks, and that’s ok.
- I like to cube up the smaller sticks first. For this recipe, the cubes should all be about 1 inch in size, but since they will get pureed in the soup, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Now, take the larger sticks of squash and stack 2-3 on top of each other at a time. Slice them into sticks again, then, cut those sticks into cubes.
Once all of your cubes are ready, you can start making soup! I know that this seems like a lot of steps, but, I wanted to make sure it’s understandable for everyone! Trust me, this process takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish.
Do you Have to Peel Butternut Squash?
YES! You will want to peel it, the skin is not appetizing at all, but the actual squash has a really heavenly nutty sort of sweet flavor. If you feel like your knife and vegetable peeler won’t stand up, you can usually find pre-cubed butternut squash at the store. You will need about 3-4 cups of squash total if you go that route. If you want to use frozen butternut squash, you definitely can, and you don’t need to thaw it first.
What is a Good Garnish for Butternut Squash Soup?
Since this is a lasagna style soup, I typically garnish it with extra shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese as well as a good sprinkle of parsley. If you like, a big dollop of ricotta would be great on this as well! If you want it creamy, you can swirl a bit of heavy cream on top, or even add in a couple spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt if you like some tang. Fresh (or even dried) herbs like thyme, oregano, basil, or rosemary would be good too.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Butternut Squash Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Butternut Squash
- 1 Medium Yellow onion Diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 10 Lasagna noodles, Broken into bite sized pieces
- 8 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth, Divided
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 1 15 Ounce can Cannellini beans, Drained and Rinsed
- 1 Cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 Cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
TO CUT THE SQUASH:
- Place the squash on its side on a large cutting board. Slice about 1/4 inch from the top and 1/4 inch from the bottom of the squash.
- Hold the squash firmly in one hand and peel using a sturdy vegetable peeler from top to bottom.
- Use a large metal spoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp from the squash. Lay the squash cut side down on your cutting board.
- Stand the squash upright and cut vertically through the center from top to bottom so that you have two halves
- Cut each half of squash into quarters. Then, cut each quarter into sticks, and then into cubes that are about 1 inch.
TO MAKE THE SOUP:
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Then, add the garlic and cook one more minute stirring constantly.
- Add the squash and 6 cups of the stock to the pot along with the oregano, thyme, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes until squash is fork tender.
- Remove the squash chunks to a blender and puree until smooth, then return to pot. **Alternately, using a handheld immersion blender, puree the squash right in the pot until smooth.
- Add the remaining broth, and broken lasagna noodles to the pot with the squash.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, until noodles are al dente.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the beans, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Stir for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately garnished with extra cheese and parsley if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This soup turned out great! It is delicious and has such a pretty color! Thanks for sharing! Only thing I did different was cook dry beans in instant pot instead of using canned.
If you microwave the squash 3-4 minutes (depending on size), it is MUCH easier to cut.
What kind of bread would you pair with this soup?
I’m a sourdough lover myself! But any kind of good baguette would be amazing 🙂
I made this last night… oh my gosh… DELICIOUS! My girlfriend totally LOVED this soup and she is VERY picky when it comes to soups!
This was really super easy to make, especially if you half and roast the squash (don’t season it; the soup will do that). That saves time – and Band Aids – from peeling, cutting and cubing and you get that yummy ‘roasty’ flavor in the squash. Plus, a few seconds in the pot with an immersion blender pureed the squash perfectly!
I was amazed at how flavorful this soup is with just a few herbs/spices. Will definitely be doing this soup again… and again… lol!
Love your recipes, by the way… your site is my “go to” when I want something different from my usual ‘repertoire’.
Thank you!! I appreciate that very much! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this… love butternut squash! I think I will half and roast the squash first instead of doing the whole cutting, peeling, cubing and cooking thing. That way I just scoop the halves out into my stockpot and resume the recipe. I ABSOLUTELY love the flavour of roasted squash!
Made this tonight for my family of 6. I figured someone was bound to complain about something…”Where’s the meat?”…”I don’t like squash!”…”I don’t like beans!”…But I didn’t get ONE complaint! Everyone loved it! Definitely will be making, again.
One thing I would add to the recipe is to NOT put a lid while simmering. The recipe didn’t state either way.