Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Fennel is a hearty, vegetarian, gluten-free, and healthy soup. Incredibly delicious without heavy cream, this butternut squash soup recipe is loaded with vegetables, including fennel, and even has pears thrown in the mix.
Despite its creamy deliciousness, Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Fennel is the very essence of healthy, low-calorie cooking. We love it, and I know you will too! Plus, it’s a great way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. And, a bonus, if you have picky eaters in your house, they won’t even know they are eating vegetables unless you tell them!
More soup recipes:
Warm and cozy soups and colder weather go together. If you like soup as we do, I know you will also like these other soup recipes on my blog:
Creamy Homemade White Bean Soup with Broccoli
Creamy Fresh Tomato Soup with Roasted Tomatoes
Easy Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Easy Creamy Sweet Potato Soup with Candied Pecans
Check out all of my soup recipes here.
This recipe was adapted from Dori Greenspan’s cookbook, Around my French Table.
Butternut Squash and Pear Soup Ingredients:
The ingredients are butternut squash or acorn squash, onion, shallot, olive oil, a fennel bulb, celery, garlic, ginger, cumin, nutmeg, vegetable broth, two ripe pears, orange peel, and lemons.
How to make Butternut Squash and Pear Soup:
To begin, slice your butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. You do not need to peel it first. Cut it into a few more pieces, the smaller the chunks, the quicker it will cook.
Rub the flesh with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and place it in a 425-degree oven.
Roast for about 60 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork. When done, let it cool, peel it and cut into cubes. Set aside.
Add olive oil to a Dutch Oven and heat over low heat. Add chopped onions and shallot. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook about 10 minutes, or until the onions start to soften.
How to core and slice fennel:
If you are like me and have never cooked with fennel before, here is how to core it and slice it. If you have, you know what to do.
To prepare fennel, first cut off the fronds.
Then slice in half, and cut out the core in a wedge.
Next, slice thinly.
Add sliced fennel, celery, garlic, and a pinch more salt and cook, often stirring for about 10-15 minutes until all of the vegetables are soft.
Stir in the ginger, cumin, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and add the roasted squash. Pour in 5-6 cups of broth and increase the heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low so the soup can simmer.
Add the peeled and chopped pears and the orange peel. (Use a vegetable peeler to peel your orange. If there is any pith attached to the peel, use a very sharp knife and gently scrape or cut it off.)
Partially cover the pot and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the pears and squash are tender enough to mash easily with a fork.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. If the soup is too thick, you can add a cup of vegetable broth and reheat.
Ladle into bowls and finish with a little lemon juice.
Sharon’s Expert Tips:
You can substitute acorn squash for the butternut squash.
Chicken stock or broth can also be substituted for vegetable stock.
And speaking of substitutions, feel free to substitute apples for the pears in this recipe. Heck, you can even add an apple or two if you like.
Butternut Squash Soup with Pears and Fennel freezes well and can be stored in your freezer for up to two months in an airtight container.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup in batches in a blender. Be sure to place a folded up kitchen towel over the top of the blender to prevent any steam or soup from splashing out.
★ If you make Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Fennel, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!
Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Fennel
Ingredients
- 3 pounds butternut can substitute acorn squash
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion large, chopped
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1 fennel bulb cored and sliced
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth low-sodium, or chicken broth
- 2 ripe pears peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 strips orange peel no pith
- 1-2 lemons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Slice your butternut or acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. You do not need to peel it first. Cut it into a few more pieces, the smaller the chunks, the quicker it will cook.
- Rub the flesh with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and place in your oven. Roast for about 60 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork. When done, let it cool and peel it and cut it into cubes. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to a Dutch Oven and heat over low heat. Add chopped onions and shallot. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook about 10 minutes, or until the onions start to soften.
- Add sliced fennel, celery, garlic, and a pinch more salt and cook, stirring often until all of the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the ginger, cumin, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and add the roasted squash.
- Pour in 5-6 cups of broth and increase the heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low so the soup can simmer. Add the peeled and chopped pears and the orange peel.
- Partially cover the pot and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the pears and squash are tender enough to mash easily with a fork.
- Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. If the soup is too thick, you can add an additional cup of chicken broth and reheat.
- Ladle into bowls and finish with a little lemon juice.
Notes
Nutrition
*Post was updated on October 31, 2019, to added expanded directions and tips as well as a new photo.
A friend gave us heirloom butternut squashes and pumpkins, and I can hardly wait to try this yummy-sounding soup. Like the lighter version.
I’m still going to make your recipe. We loved that soup!
Your butternut squash soup recipe looks outstanding. I have a butternut squash so will be preparing your recipe soon. We are not big salmon fans either except when Brian puts it on the grill. When I want it I tell him that I will buy the salmon if you cook it, he likes that deal. This recipe looks amazing too, need to try it as well. Have had a hard time trying to post a comment on your blog, I am wordpress challenged. Will be seeing you soon.
Carolyn
Sorry if you had a problem! But it looks like you got it figured out! We need to go to lunch soon!