Butternut and Apple Harvest Soup

Wow, this was great. I was craving a soup like the Butternut Squash soup at Bruegger's Bagels. I think this outdoes theirs. I admit I did make a few changes/additions. I used a sweet potato for the regular potato, apple cider for the wine and added a dash of ginger and cumin. Oh, and I used a Honeycrisp apple (very similar to Granny Smith but not quite as tart) instead of the Granny Smith. I will definitely be making this one again. A tip for handling the butternut squash-microwave whole for a few minutes, let cool then cut in quarters, seed, peel and cube.

I made this soup, leaving out the cream & using a hand-held blender. It was awesome! I made another recipe the next week & was so dissapointed that I had to find this again & write a review. The apple & carrots are the key to making this soup tasty and hearty.

Great base - experiment with spices how you like. Can substitute apple cider vinegar for wine. Cinnamon is a great fit, with the apples & the squash.. as are nutmeg and ground cloves. Tastes better after a few days. I make ahead and freeze in jars to take to work :)

Perfect soup! A balance of tangy and mellow, sweet and savory , comforting, fresh, and wholesome. The only changes I made were to add a little celery that needed to be used, used heavy cream because that's what I've got, and to leave a little texture when I pureed it.. Garnished with beaten heavy cream and chives. Perfect, perfect, perfect. THANKS!

Love this soup. I've made it several times in the last few weeks. I used canned pumpkin in place of the squash to save on some time. I also never ever have leeks on hand so I used regular onions. Used butter substitute and fat free half and half. No need for the extra fat. This soup does not need it. I've also given it a few shakes of sage,thyme,rosemary and black pepper in addition to the nutmeg. Awesome soup. Just made it again tonight and added about 1 tspn of chopped fresh ginger just to give it some kick. It was super. Topped it with fat free sour cream and some homemade croutons (recipe from this site) Thanks for sharing !

This was delicious, though I did not follow the recipe to a T. I was hoping to not add the cream (lactose intolerant) so I tried it before adding--delicious without it! This was a family hit.

We loved this soup. I followed the suggestion of using a sweet potato rather than white potato and liked that idea. Lazy me also used vegetable bouillon powder to make the stock. And I omitted the cream and didn't miss it. Will definitely add this to our list of favorite soups.

I LOVE this recipe. My picky 7 and 2 yr olds eat this up like there is no tomorrow. I bake the squash in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper (cut in half). When I pull that out, i start putting the soup together, i add the squash last by just scouping it out of the outer peel and right into the pot. SUPER EASY I will definately be making this regularly

Mmmmm, this soup is good! I made the recipe pretty much as directed. The only changes were that I used roasted butternut squash I had made the day before, and I added @ 2 tsp of light brown sugar. I will definitely be making this one again!

Excellent soup! Very quick and easy to put together. I pureed mine smooth (no chunks, kids will pick them out) and it's so comforting and filling! I didn't add the optional wine. THX

So good. Didn't add the wine though, just added more stock. Next time i may try adding apple juice to substitute the wine.

We really enjoyed this soup. I've tried other butternut squash soup recipes before and have never been happy with them. I'll hang on to this one for sure but I'm only giving it 4 stars because of the changes I made. I left out the leeks because I didn't have them on hand. I used and entire small squash which turned out to be 3+ cups. I used a Fuji apple because it's what I had. I used a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar in place of the wine (per other reviewers recommendation). I added just a dash of nutmeg and several dashes of cinnamon along with a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little dimension. Then the major change I made was LEAVE OUT THE CREAM! I'm sure it's very tasty with it. But I'm trying to eliminate some post-baby fat and this soup does NOT need the extra fat if it suits you to leave it out. It's delicious without it.

This recipe was great! My husband even liked it and he is not a big soup fan. I thought I had bought a Granny Smith apple but it never made it home. I used a Gala apple instead as that was what I had on hand. I still think it turned out awesome. Not sure what difference the GS apple would have made. I will defiantly make this soup again.

I thought this was going to be a fantastic soup, but it was super bland and not flavorful at all. I agree with some other reviewers on those counts. I followed the recipe exactly, without the optional wine. It was so bland what after we tried it, we went back and added a lot more things like cinnamon, cloves, more salt, just trying to get it to taste great but it still is just a very bland soup. I very much prefer the Creamy Butternut Squash with Cinnamon Soup from this site. NO comparison!!

Wonderful recipe, exactly what I was hoping for from a squash soup. I used a whole butternut squash (probably an extra cup) - no reason to waste! Based on some reviews, I used a sweet potato and added 2T brown sugar and 1t cinnamon. I (shockingly) didn't have any white wine in the house, so I used apple cider vinegar instead of the wine - word of caution: you do NOT need 1/4 cup of vinegar! 1T or 2T would be plenty. It didn't ruin the soup, but it was a tad zingier than I planned. I used the cream - for the amount you're adding to such a large pot, it doesn't make the fat content go through the roof, and adds extra depth. Pleased even the skeptics in the group. Making it again for Thanksgiving Eve!

This soup is awesome! I made some adjustments, mainly because it's what I had on hand. I did not have leeks so I used some extra onion. I used gala apples (what I had). I didn't add the white wine. I also chose to leave the skin on the potato and apples and to skip the cream to make it a bit healthier. Once you blend the soup, the skins just get nicely mixed in! The soup smells heavenly while it's cooking and makes a great fall meal!

I roasted the squash, carrots, apples and onions along with some sweet potatoes (which I sub'd for the white potato) I think the roasting intensifies the flavor. Delicious soup.

Would give it 10 stars if I could. Absolutely perfect! I added celery, but otherwise followed recipe to a tee. It also freezes well, which is wonderful when you're cooking for two. Great with a loaf of crunchy hot bread. I've also used it as an appetizer by serving it in little shot glasses (you can get them at a dollar store in packages of four) - put them on a silver tray -always impresses! Thanks for a GREAT recipe.

A delicious fall soup! I added cloves, ginger and cinnamon (1/2 tsp each) to enhance the the apple flavour. My husband isn't a soup person, but this soup might have changed his mind.

Have made exactly to recipe for the third time. Totally, completely awesome. This time, I used the butternut sqash cut up in packages in the product section of the supermarket. Every bit as good and saves a ton of time. Thank you, cynjne for sharing this.

My family and I loved this soup. I did take the suggestion of others and baked the butternut squash in the oven whole for 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees. It was so easy to peel the skin off, scoop the seeds out and puree with the rest of the soup. I added 1/2 cup of milk instead of cream. It is such a nice warm hearty soup, perfect for cold and rainy days. Thanks for the recipe! It is a keeper for our family!

Turned out perfect in every way. Used one less leek and a bit more onion, plus added some cinnamon and ground cloves to the final product. One of the best soups I've ever made, thanks for the recipe!

I don't think that my review actually counts 'cos I made so many changes. I swapped the potato for a sweet potato and roasted the pumpkin, sweet potato, apple and the onion. I like warm spices in my pumpkin soup, so I added nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cinnamon. Instead of cream, I added approx 1/2 a cup of coconut cream. SO good! Maybe I should post my own recipe...

I have made Butternut Squash soup before so when I read this recipe I thought the addition of apple and potato sounded interesting. I used 2 medium butternut squash,cut them in half and scored the fleshy part, added Splenda brown sugar, cinnamon, bit of butter, salt and pepper, and,then roasted it in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. When they were done, I took the skin off, and cubed the squash for the soup. I followed the recipe for the rest of the ingredients, using the immersion blender to puree it. It was wonderful and our house smelled like autumn! My very picky daughter ate 3 bowls! Thanks for the recipe.

Everyone loved this soup. It's flavorful, creamy and wasn't all that difficult to make. I added a bit more squash, and a bit less carrot ... and it was yummy!

Perfect!!! Based on other comments I added a few spoons heavy cream, ground cloves, salt and ground black pepper. Just one pumpkin made a a large amount of soup that I put in several small containers and put in the freezer. You can later defrost in the microwave, put on the stove for a few minutes and add a few spoons of heavy cream. It makes a perfect meal, either as a side dish or by itself. To me, this is healthy and yet tasteful eating, I know what's in the soup and it is very inexpensive.

I loved this! High in fiber and great taste!!! Wonderful fall soup. It did come out thick which was bothersome to my husband but didn't bother me at all. For his, I thinned it out with a little white wine and water.

What wonderful blend of spices and tastes!

Easy and yummy! I doubled the recipe for my large family, and it made more than 8 servings.

I loved this soup! I followed the recipe as is, except I didn't blend the entire soup, but like someone else suggested, blended 3/4 and left the rest chunky. I also added some rice. I would definitely make this recipe again! Yum!

This soup is simple,elegant and perfect for a cool fall evening. The only thing missing in the recipe as printed is a fair amount of salt. Also, to add depth of flavor and some more savory-ness to the soup, I added about a cup of beef stock. That may help those of you who had trouble with a 'too mellow' flavor.

I don't care for chives, so I didn't put them on top and I think it needs something to add flavor to the soup. I did freeze half, so when I thaw it, I'm going to top it with green onions and chili&lime pumpkin seeds. I think it would add a lot of flavor to (kind of) a bland soup. Overall, I do think it's worth your time to make it, I would just add something with a little bit of kick (to your liking). Thanks for sharing this recipe. It's a nice base.

Very traditional tasting soup with all the flavors of fall! I did a few things different though. I used both a baking potato and a sweet potato. I also used veggie broth and not chicken. I increased the squash by about 3/4 cup as well. I got a large squash, which was WAY too much. I would reccomend (unless you want left over squash) to pick the smallest squash you can find! I cooked it all and froze half of it. Even using the half squash, there was still more than called for in this recipe, so I added more to it. I think this ended up being a good thing as it made the soup thicker. Even this made a very large pot of soup. I ended up freezing half of the soup as well, which thawed and heated tasted just as good as the first time! I will make this again.

Made this exactly as the recipe says and I LOVED it!! I made this for Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone who ate it thought it was delicious!

EXCELLENT! It tastes like a an expensive gourmet soup. Rich, but not heavy. I went a little less on the cream and didn't have an onion at the time and it still turned out excellent. I like the but of white wine in there a lot. Definitely recommend to anyone who wants to impress some guests with an incredible soup!

Delicious dish! First time trying it and it went very well!! I only wish the proper salt and pepper amounts would have been given, just because I was unsure of how much to put. But overall, GREAT flavor and what amazing health benefits in one dish!

My family LOVED this soup. It was very good and very healthy(although, don't tell the family that!!). I used soy plain yogurt instead of the cream, and it was quite good.

Missing the smell of fall already? This is perfect for a fall evening, hearty and delicious. Made a few minor changes based on reviews; added a dash of ginger and cumin, omitted the cream for allergy reasons, and used the blender to puree. Doubled the recipe and had quite a bit to share with Grandparents and neighbors. Thank you for a wonderful recipe, will be sure to keep on cooking it over and over again!

After trying several of these squash soup recipes, I think I've found my winner! Following the advice of some of the other reviewers I used sweet potatoes, substituted frozen squash for the fresh and added apple juice instead of the wine - it was AWESOME! I also added a couple of shakes of cinnamon and ginger to accent the "sweet" in the soup. I threw everything in my crockpot on high for the day and then used my hand blender to puree it right in the pot. Again, AWESOME! Thank you cynjne for a great soup!

Excellent! We served this without the cream and did not miss it a bit.

Quite delicious, even without the cream. The amount of squash called for didn't seem like enough, but I trusted the recipe and it was fine. The wine I used was too sweet I think, so make sure it really is dry if you use it, which I don't think you need to, really. Definitely a fall hit.

My FAVORITE soup of all time!! I have made this soup about 3 times so far and I love it more each time I make it!

Delish!

Everyone loved this soup! We modified the directions a little because of the ingredients we had around the house and it still turned out wonderful. We used canned yams instead of the potato and already had cooked butternut squash from another recipe. We added these veggies for the last 5 minutes of simmering since they had already been cooked. After blending we added nutmeg, cinnamon, and curry. We didn't have cream and planned on adding milk instead, but after tasting we decided it didn't need anything else! I think next time I will add more apple to see if I can make the apple flavor stronger.

This recipe was labor intensive, but on a cold, rainy, fall day it was a labor of love to feed to my family. None of us had EVER had butternut squash, so it was a delicious way of introduction. I followed a reviewer suggestion and roasted the butternut squash first and had to stop myself from eating it all out of the pan by itself! Thanks for the recipe and the reviews as well:)

Every time we make this soup I remember how wonderful it is. We cook our squash a little in the microwave to speed up the cooking time, use a sweet potato and apple cider as recommended by others. We have yet to make it with the cream because it is yummy without it.

This was pretty good butternut squash soup, and I would probably have loved it if I didn't compare it to the "Spiced Butternut Squash Soup" that is also on this website. We found it a big tangy, probably because of the wine and the apples, and it was not as thick and rich as we liked. I confess to using canned evaporated milk instead of cream (which I always do in recipes to cut some fat).

Great "curb appeal" but not much flavor. I added a bit of ginger and cinnamon and it went over well.

Fabulous! I made this for 1 person, adding 1/2 an apple instead of a 1/4. I'm not a fan of soup but this was delicious.

I thought this needed more flavor. Not a hit with my family.

Instead of using butter to saute the vegetables I used vegetable oil. What I like about this soup is that even if you don't have all the ingredients it comes out great. I did not have on hand, the leeks and the cream so I left those out. Once the veggies have cooked I do like cooling the soup before pureeing using my stick mixer. Use the pulsing motion to avoid splattering. Once the soup was pureed, I did add 1 cup apple cider. Using ready cut up butternut squash from the store saves a lot of time and energy.

I do admit I hated chopping all the ingredients up. This soup was really very good and I am glad I made it. I do think it needed just a bit more flavor but not sure what to add season wise. I will definately make this again.

Awesome. Used a food processor instead of a blender, so it was a little "chunkier"; which I actually like. Also didn't use the wine, as others have said. Also, was reading other reviews: I NEVER try to cut/peel raw winter squash. I poke a few holes with a knife and stick it in the oven for a while until it is softer--time depends on size of squash. THEN, I cut it open/ peel/ cube/etc.

very good, esp the next day! did not add the cream

It was easier than I thought it would be. The hardest part was just peeling and cutting the squash but there are methods for that. My fiance and I loved it with some French bread. It was so delicious and filling!

Added a bit of fresh grated ginger

Excellent recipe! I used 1/2 & 1/2 rather than the light cream, plus a bit of ginger. Yummy, and satisfying on a chilly fall day.

The best fall soup ever

There was nothing 'wrong' with this recipe--it just didn't suit me. Used the apple cider instead of white wine as someone else suggested, more than a quarter cup, actually. The nutmeg flavor was nonexistent and I doubled that and added a generous handful of brown sugar after tasting. A little too mellow for me; nothing wrong with it, just won't make it again. Certainly gets lots of points for being healthy, though.

I love this recipe especially with the ceyenne flavor. This blended much better in a blender than in a food processor. Instead of cinnamon I used pumpkin pie spice which was very good because of the blend of multiple spices. Would be a perfect soup for guests because it's an elegant dish.

Great Recipe. I was looking for a new butternut squash recipe, and this one hit it out of the park. It will make it on to our table again. I'd like to try the sweet potato instead of a white one next time :)

My hubby and I truly enjoyed this recipe. I made it with what I had on hand and it turned out excellent. I used a really large acorn squash in lieu of the butternut and a Fuji apple instead of the Granny Smith. It was very flavorful. I added a bit of ground black pepper, white pepper, and red cayenne for more flavor. I didn't add the cream or the wine. I used an immersion blender and it turned out very creamy and hearty.

I love this soup. I made the recipe just as it is written- didn't add the optional wine because I didn't have any on hand. It is such an appropriate food for autumn and apple season. Will definitely make again and accompany it this time with a good sandwich.

It is good, but lacked a layer of flavor for us. I did as some reviewers said, and used a sweet potato and added cayenne. It did have a kick from the cayenne but was still just a bit "flat".

I garnished with some feta - yum!

Everyone LOVES this soup! I tripled everything and made a big pot. I used sweet potatoes instead of regular, didn't use the leeks (they smelled weird after I cut them up), and I used sweet white wine instead of dry. So so so yummy!

This is an awesome recipe! My husband surprised me with dinner one night and I fell in love with the soup. He even made it for a soup sale that we do at work to benefit Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Big hit!! Thanks!

Very good. Used a good quality dry reisling, and it made a big difference.

Absolutely declicous! I used less cream since I am a bit of a health nut. Make sure to puree the mixture well, or it won't have a great consistency.

Very tasty!

Yum! This soup was perfect for a cold winter evening. The apple gives it a bit of tang and makes the flavors of the other vegetables really stand out. It tasted great even without the wine. Next time I will try the suggestion of using a sweet potato rather than a white potato just to make it a little different. Super easy to make and makes the kitchen smell so good when cooking!

This recipe is absolutely amazing! I added about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, which really livened it up. I am also going to try to roast the squash next time, just to add a little more flavor. I am using it as a first course for my fall dinner party!

This soup has an excellently smooth and subtle taste. It would make a great before dinner soup. We put one sweet potato and one red potato.

This was great! I made it twice, and the first time my family liked it, but it was a little too thick and 'squashy'. So this time I added cauliflower too, plus a bit more broth and some extra potato - didn't have leeks so just used extra onion. Used a gala apple. Much better with this extra other vegetable variation. I used white potatoes instead of sweet, since we were trying to get away from the strong orange vegetable taste. Also added a pinch of cinnamon along with the nutmeg, no wine, and only a little bit of lite half and half. Thumbs up!!

This had a good flavor, but MAKE SURE YOU COOK IT UNTIL THE VEGGIES ARE VERY SOFT. Mine was still a little chunky after blending.

Excellent. Definitely a keeper. I followed the recipe to the letter, and it turned out beautifully. I swirled some heavy cream into the top of each bowl prior to sprinkling fresh chives for a lovely presentation.

Excellent Recipe. However i did modify it. I had no leak or chives so omitted these. i used yellow Yukon Gold potatoes. i had no dry white wine so instead I put 1.5 Tspn of mirin (japanese rice wine) which made it more healthy, i wanted this dairy free so i omitted the cream and sour cream. i did not feel like using pepper and i seasoned with a pinch of sea salt once the soup first came to a boil so the salt was cooked in and released more of the natural sugars in the veggies (also seasoning first makes salt more digestable and better for your intestines). my kids had two servings they loved it so much . We decided to be even more healthier and not eat bread with it. It was more than satisfying on its own! i have been trying healthier buttnernut soup recipes and haven't been happier until i found this one and modified it. i should just repost it as a new recipe LOL. YUM!

Delicious! This soup even pleased my picky daughter. As a great base soup each family member seasoned it as they liked it, nutmeg, cayenne, added pepper. I used water instead of chicken broth and omitted the leeks and wine and it was rich even without them. I left out the cream and we each poured a few tablespoons of Fat Free Half & Half into our hot soup at the table. This is a winner.

Truly excellent soup.

this is my favorite

This recipe is fantastic. Made it for Thanksgiving and it was the hit of the dinner. Definitely use the white wine; can easily do without the cream. I served it with a dollop of sour cream and chives to garnish.

This is an outstanding recipe! It's easy and delicious -- even without the cream. I made it as written, but on the second time around, I omitted the cream. Either way, it's a winner in my house. Thanks so much for sharing it!

This was great with a smoked turkey tenderloin

This is one of our favorite soups! Easy to make and delicious!

OMG! Made this last night! DELISH!!! You won't be disappointed! I bought two butternut squashes as I was not sure how much I was going to get out of just 1 squash. But you only need to buy one for this recipe. However, it won't go to waste, I am going to make another batch this week!

I really wanted to love this soup because I love all the ingredients and thought this sounded like a unique and tasty combination. Plus, it is super healthy. However, something was just missing for me. I didn't use the wine because I didn't have any but it is listed as "optional" so that shouldn't be too big of a deal. I enjoy the mellow flavor but it's a bit too mellow for me. I actually do plan on making this soup again, with some tweaking, because I really, really want it to work for my family. Maybe more nutmeg, maybe some ginger.... I'll keep an eye on these reviews for suggestions.

I thought this was just okay. I followed the recipe but used sherry instead of white wine. I was disappointed by the flavor of the soup--not enough squash flavor, and bland overall. I ended up doubling the nutmeg and adding a little cayenne, and there still wasn't a whole lot of taste there. Also, what flavor was there was a little too onion-heavy for me(and that was without the chive garnish, even)--I think either the onion or the leeks would have been sufficient. I think I'll keep looking for a squash soup recipe, but thanks.

I adored this recipe. It was a fantastic way to use up some huge butternut squashes we had. Even my husband who isn't a huge fan of butternut liked it!

This was my first soup recipe ever. I never knew the complexity of yummy soup recipes. I enjoyed working with all of the varied ingredients and the final outcome. The only reason I didn't rate this with 5 stars is because I didn't feel as though this soup was perfect on it's own, but needing additional supplementation.

Very good! I used a sweet potato instead of a regular potato, and cider vinegar instead of the wine, as I never have any wine. Also, I used skim milk instead of cream to lower the fat, and didn't miss the cream at all.

This is my new favourite soup. I only pureed about half of the vegetables but I will probably go ahead and do all of it next time, and just leave it a bit chunky. I followed the recipe for the most part, the only changes being that I sauteed the onions and leeks in olive oil and a little less butter, used a sweet potato instead of a regular potato, and added garlic, cumin, ginger, and a bit of yellow curry powder in addition to the cinnamon and nutmeg. I added a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar because I didn't have any white wine or cider on hand. I'm not sure it changed the flavour much, but I'm not a fan of vinegar so I didn't want to add too much. I will make sure I have apple cider to use next time. I baked the butternut squash seeds with a little olive oil and salt and used them as a garnish - so good! And they are really good for you. Don't just throw them out. I like them even better than pumpkin seeds. Even with the changes I made, this was perfect. You can't really go wrong with this and it's a great soup to experiment with.

Fabulous soup! I have also substituted vegetable stock and added 1-2 tsp fresh ginger to the vegies while simmering. Delish!

My whole family loved this recipe! It's delicious, makes a lot and is really easy to make, especially if you buy butternut squash that's already cubed, like I did. The only thing I added that wasn't in the recipe was a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon and also kicked up the amount of nutmeg, salt & pepper too. Besides topping it with the chives, we also topped it with cheddar croutons. It would also be great served with BLT's or grilled cheese.

Love this soup. I didn't add white wine or cream. I followed some recommendations and added some fresh ginger and cayenne pepper. Will definitely make again.

Really delicious.

A hit at thanksgiving!!!

Great soup! I added some cooked spicy chorizo at the end to add a little more spice. Also, added a little cilantro at the end and topped with diced Crimini mushrooms and a dollup of sour cream. Delicious!

This is absolutely delicious. I have made it several times for parties and everyone loves it. The dry white wine is a must to balance the flavors.

This is a great soup, but I didn't really taste the apple in it. Our family all enjoyed it.