Smoked Butternut Squash Soup

Autumn has arrived, and with the change in season comes a change in menu choices. As the weather changes from summer skies to gray and wet, our food preferences leave us wanting warm, comforting dishes. That’s when we all go looking for great bowls of warm fall soups, and this delicious fall soup recipe is sure to warm your belly! So, get out your favorite cast iron Dutch oven and whip up a pot of Smoked Butternut Squash Soup.

The mere mention of fall soup recipes makes me think of thick, hearty, and heavy bowls of meaty soups and stews. Coming from a blog focused on BBQ, you might expect a recipe for a fall soup to be meat centric. That’s where this autumn-themed soup recipe is different, as it’s entirely vegetarian.

Not only is it a vegetarian soup recipe, it’s also vegan. I will never claim to be a vegan, as I enjoy meat and dairy products far too much. However, I can acknowledge that vegetarian or vegan dishes can be just as scrumptious and comforting as a meaty stew. I also love challenging myself to come up with recipes that are a little different than what you would expect from a BBQ-themed recipe blog. If my goal is to challenge myself, use local and seasonal ingredients, and make delicious food, then Smoked Butternut Squash Soup is my kind of dish.

Northwest Style Barbeque Meets Fall Comfort Foods with Smoked Butternut Squash Soup

Part of the challenge of carving out a food (and regional BBQ) niche is being intentional in what ingredients are used. Autumn days in the Pacific Northwest can change by the minute. What can start out with a crisp but clear day can quickly become blustery and wet weather in the blink of an eye. That’s when Pacific Northwest residents look to their comfort foods. Comfort foods are very personal, though. For me, comfort food on a dreary fall day must warm the belly and the soul, so I look for a hot bowl of soup.

Smoked Butternut Squash Soup is also the perfect Northwest style barbeque dish. When I talk about Northwest stye dishes, availability of the ingredients is key. Butternut squash are widely available all over the United States, but their long shelf life after harvest is what makes them a perfect ingredient for a fall dish. The Pacific Northwest is rich in agricultural production; however, the rains shorten the growing season as compared to farming further south. That means that fresh produce is mostly available during late Spring, Summer, and early Fall. After that, produce is either shipped in or needs to have longer shelf life.

Smoked Versus Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I was having a conversation with someone on a BBQ internet forum I frequent, and the topic of finishing a BBQ item in the oven came up. The question was, if an item on the smoker has absorbed enough smoke flavor, can it be transferred to an oven to finish instead of staying in the smoker. The answer to that is, absolutely!

In that same light, what is the difference between smoking something and roasting it? The only difference is a smoker uses fire as the heat source. So, essentially, a pellet grill like mine uses smoke and fire to roast food. It’s a convection oven that uses circulating heat the same way a convection oven in your kitchen does. The result is that smokers give food items that low and slow smokey flavor that can’t be achieved in your kitchen.

The great thing is, if you don’t have a smoker, then this recipe can be done in the oven and the result would be very similar, just missing the smoke flavor. If you are choosing to roast the butternut squash in the oven, consider adding some smoked paprika or liquid smoke to give the soup a smokey flavor. You could also add some chipotle in adobo sauce before blending to get a chipotle butternut squash soup.

Making the Smoked Butternut Squash Soup

There are two unique aspects to executing this recipe, The Smoke and The Soup. Both are equally important, but the great part is they can be done simultaneously.

The Smoke

As with any recipe on the smoker, the first step is to get the smoker fired up and heating. For this recipe, the target temperature is 250 degrees. At that temperature, you get a slow cook and plenty of time to impart a ton of smoke flavor.

While the smoker is heating up, prepare your butternut squash. Peel the butternut squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard (or save to roast later, like with pumpkin seeds). Brush olive oil over the flesh of the butternut squash and lightly salt all sides. Place the butternut squash on the smoker and allow it to cook for roughly sixty minutes.

The Soup

While the butternut squash is smoking, get the soup going. Start by heating olive oil in a cast iron Dutch oven. When hot, add in your diced sweet onion and sauté until soft and translucent. When the onions are softened, add in the thyme and Italian seasoning and mix.

Once mixed, pour in the vegetable stock, and add the diced apple. Bring the soup to a simmer and allow to cook for roughly 20 minutes, or until the apple has softened. Remove the butternut squash from the smoker and add it to the soup.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup into a smooth and creamy consistency. Once fully blended, add the coconut milk and chipotle hot sauce and mix. Serve immediately, or simmer uncovered to thicken the soup.

Notes

• Add some roasted squash or pumpkin seeds as garnish for a little texture.
• Just because it’s a vegetarian dish doesn’t mean it can’t be served with meat. Pour it into a cup instead of a bowl to have a smoked vegetable side dish. Smoked butternut squash soup works great with meat such as pork tenderloin, cheeseburgers, or pulled pork.
• Traeger Smoked Butternut Squash Soup can be frozen easily and served later, so make a big pot and portion the leftovers for later!

Smoked Butternut Squash Soup

Great ready for the autumn with this delicious fall soup recipe. Smoked Butternut Squash Soup is just what you need to warm up on a cold day.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Northwest BBQ, Vegetarian

Keyword: autumn soup recipe, butternut squash, butternut squash soup, fall soup recipe, smoked vegetables, squash soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 320kcal

Equipment

• 1 immersion blender
• 1 cast iron Dutch oven

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash peeled and deseeded
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet onion diced
• 1 granny smith apple peeled and diced
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp thyme
• salt & pepper
• 1 dash Chipotle hot sauce

Instructions

• Start your smoker and bring the temperature to 225 degrees.
• While your smoker is heating, prep your butternut squash by peeling, cutting lengthwise, and removing the seeds.
• Brush the butternut squash with olive oil and lightly salt all sides.
• When your smoker has come to temperature, place your prepared butternut squash on and cook for roughly an hour.
• While the butternut squash is smoking, prepare the soup. Add olive oil to a cast iron Dutch oven and heat. Add in the diced onion and saute until the onion is soft and translucent, roughly 5 minutes.
• Add in the seasonings and stir, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the vegetable stock and diced apple. Allow the soup to simmer for roughly 20 minutes, or long enough to soften the apple.
• When the butternut squash is done smoking, remove it from the smoker and add it to the soup mix. Use an immersion blender to blend soup into a creamy consistency.
• Once the soup is fully blended, add the coconut milk and chipotle hot sauce and mix.
• Serve hot, or allow the soup to simmer uncovered to thicken.

Notes

• Add some roasted squash or pumpkin seeds as garnish for a little texture.
• Just because it’s a vegetarian dish doesn’t mean it can’t be served with meat. Pour it into a cup instead of a bowl to have a smoked vegetable side dish. Smoked butternut squash soup works great with meat such as pork tenderloin, cheeseburgers, or pulled pork.
• Traeger Smoked Butternut Squash Soup can be frozen easily and served later, so make a big pot and portion the leftovers for later!

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 320kcal

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