Tuscan White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
This cozy white bean and butternut squash soup with kale is full of garlic, herbs, flavorful stock, and good-for-you veggies. Drizzled with olive or garlic oil, a hunk of sourdough tucked alongside to sop up any leftover broth, this is a perfect cozy fall/winter meal to make all season long. Gluten free and vegan-friendly.
A cozy white bean and butternut squash soup
… because we could all use a little comfort food this time of year.
This cozy white bean and butternut squash soup is ultimate, soul-warming, nourishing goodness. The pot is full of garlic and herbs and Fall veggies and good stock, and it’s no wonder I keep going back to variations of this recipe, over and over again.
It’s the sort of cozy, cold-weather soup that I crave all season long, but especially right now. And I’m guessing many of you do too.
what you’ll love about this veggie soup
This white bean and butternut soup begins in a predictable – and lovely – way: with good stuff like sautéed onion, fresh garlic, and aromatic herbs.
First, I quickly caramelize the butternut squash in a bit of olive oil, adding flavor and texture, before the veggies simmer away in the garlicky, herby, lemony soup base. Using a rich chicken or vegetable stock is most important, as a bulk of the flavor comes from long-simmering broth, either store-bought or homemade (my preference).
Also added to the mix – fresh lemon juice, baby kale leaves, and white beans (I’m a fan of cannelini or navy beans), which work so well in soups like this. And in less than an hour, the result is a healthy and hearty, wonderfully flavorful soup to cozy up with on a chilly day. Happy cooking!!
Ingredients in this butternut squash and white bean soup
This cozy butternut squash soup with white beans and kale is easy and healthy and full of flavor. You likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry right now. Because this soup is so simple, it’s the perfect time to really go for the best quality ingredients, but especially when it comes to the broth. If you have homemade stock or broth on hand, now is its time to shine. Here’s what you’ll need:
- butternut squash: of course! Healthy and vibrant squash gives this vegetarian soup a hearty boost.
- olive oil and butter: we’ll use both for extra layers of flavor. For a plant based version you can simply use all olive oil or a vegan butter.
- onion and garlic: add tons of flavor to the soup broth.
- herbs: aromatic rosemary, thyme, and oregano. You can also use fresh!
- lemon: fresh lemon juice adds a lovely brightness and acid. I always reach for Meyer lemons for a bit more sweetness when available.
- chicken or vegetable stock: use a really good, rich stock for the best overall flavor. Homemade is even better if you have it.
- salt and pepper: just a pinch of each to intensify all the other flavors.
- cannellini beans: white beans are naturally creamy, and add heartiness to this otherwise veggie-filled soup. Use your favorite white bean here (cannellini, navy, great northern, etc.).
- kale: adds freshness and nutritional value. I prefer to use baby kale or roughly chopped Lacinato kale, but feel free to substitute your favorite greens.
Find all the exact measurements and recipe instructions below.
Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup: FAQs
Sure! While the recipe is written for sautéing the squash in the pan (one pot for the win!), in practice, I make this soup both ways. Roasting adds a bit more caramelization and is a great way to repurpose extra roasted veggies. After peeling and seeding the butternut squash, cut it into large chunks or bite sized cubes, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400℉ for 25-30 minutes until golden and tender.
Yes! When the soup is cool enough to handle, ladle it into glass canning jars or other freezer safe containers, leaving about 1/2 of space at the top for expansion. Place in the refrigerator until chilled, then freeze for up to 3 months. If I’m planning to freeze a batch of this soup, for the best flavor and texture, I always wait to add the kale or other greens until I’m ready to reheat and serve.
Drizzled with good olive or garlic oil, a hunk of sourdough tucked alongside to sop up any leftover broth, and this is a perfect cozy fall/winter meal. It’s a hearty soup as is, thanks to the butternut squash and beans, but for more bulk you could add pasta, grains, or some chicken or sausage. Or serve it with a simple crisp green salad. If you like spice, finishing with some red pepper flakes would be lovely. So would a tiny splash of champagne vinegar. Or a sprinkling of fresh parmesan.
And be sure to try these other cozy Fall soup recipes too:
- Butternut squash noodle soup
- Lemony kale and white bean soup
- Simple weeknight chicken ramen
- Butternut squash, apple, and fennel soup
- Ginger noodle soup with Swiss chard
If you make this butternut squash and white bean soup recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura
Tuscan White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Soup, Savory
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This cozy white bean and butternut squash soup is full of garlic, herbs, flavorful stock, and good-for-you Fall veggies. Gluten free and vegan-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and large-diced
- 1 large yellow or sweet onion, minced
- 1–2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter ¹
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano
- 1 small lemon, juiced ²
- 4 cups (32 oz) rich chicken or vegetable stock
- kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (15 oz) can cooked cannelini beans, drained but not rinsed
- 1–1/2 cups baby kale leaves ³
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the butternut squash, and cook, turning occasionally, until just beginning to caramelize and soften, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the butternut squash to a plate.
- Add the onion to the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, and just beginning to brown.
- Add the garlic, and cook for another minute or two.
- Add the butter, and as it melts, stir in the herbs. Let cook for another minute or two until the onions are lightly golden.
- Add the butternut squash back to the pot, along with the lemon juice and stock, and stir to combine.
- Cover, and bring the stock just to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, and let simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add the white beans and kale leaves, and continue to simmer until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes. If using a more delicate green, such as spinach, add right before serving. Serve warm with crusty bread. Enjoy!!
Notes
¹ Make it vegan: use all olive oil, omit the butter completely, or use vegan butter (such as Earth Balance spread)
² One small lemon should yield 2-3 Tbsp of juice. Adjust according to your tastes. If you can find them, Meyer lemons are my favorite choice. They’re in season in Winter and add a welcome flavor and brightness to the soup.
³ Feel free to substitute spinach, Swiss chard, or your favorite tender green for the kale.
Keywords: white bean and butternut squash soup, white bean soup, butternut squash soup, tuscan, fall vegetable, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan
Originally published November 9, 2016. Recipe notes updated September 1, 2021.
I made this soup using a small honey nut squash plus a white acorn squash. I added baby spinach leaves at the end instead of kale. It was absolutely delicious, and tasted incredible on the second day! Next time I’m making a double batch. We will be having this soup often!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Ginny! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
How should I store this soup? Should I store the butternut squash separate from the liquid so jt doesn’t dissolve ?
Hi, Sophia! I don’t store the squash separately (although you certainly could), but if I’m making it in advance, or planning to freeze it, I will usually wait to add the kale until I’m reheating/serving. You can always add a bit more broth when you reheat the soup, too, if you’d like it thinner. And nothing fancy as far as storage – just an airtight container in the fridge for a few days, or in glass jars/freezer safe containers for a few months. Enjoy!!
Thank you. I love this healthy and flavorful soup. It’s especially good with fresh herbs and today I sauteed a few mushrooms with the onions – delicious!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Julia!!
A friend from Chile shared this recipe with me. I add a ham bone (bacon or leftover pork), a can of creamed corn, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Love it!
Thanks so much, Christine!!
Love this soup! It’s become a regular in the rotation. I assume it’s meant to be a main dish? What protein would you add for more protein? I don’t want to add more beans. Thanks.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Jeanne!! If you eat meat, this soup works really well with rotisserie chicken or sliced sausage. If you want to keep it vegetarian, you can add some pasta for more bulk (one made with lentils or quinoa can add more protein than traditional wheat). Enjoy!!
Roasted the squash, onions and garlic w/ all the spices. Substituted a small tomato for lemon juice. Added a little sugar for balance. Used 2 tablespoons of fish sauce with 2 cups of water instead of chicken sauce. Added kale with beans, cooked 10 minutes before roasted veggies. More olive oil drizzled over roasted veggies instead of butter. Added a couple of shakes of smoked paprika.
Yummy
Thanks, Robert!!
This soup has made me delirious!! So gooooood! There we go!
★★★★★
Ha! Thanks so much, Chrissy!! So happy it’s a hit 🙂
I crave this soup!! It’s sooooo hood!
★★★★★
Sorry I mean sooooo hood!
I am cooking this soup as I type. I from tasting I already can tell this will be wonderful. A few notes for some of the comments I saw:
1. The flavor of the butternut by itself could affect final flavor. If it’s not ripe enough flavor could be lackluster.
2. I pulled a little bit of broth and added a tiny bit of lemon juice to it to test the lemon flavor. I found it dulled out the flavors for me so I added lemon zest to the soup instead. Also, the squash I had was a little past prime and a bit dull in flavor so that could have affected it as well. If you do opt for lemon juice you will need to up the salt and possibly other spices.
3. I would absolutely use homemade broth but I am an admitted snob when it comes to that, lol.
I still think this is an excellent recipe and can’t wait to have a bowl. Thank you for sharing….
Another comment because I forgot to rate the recipe…
I also used frozen kale because sometimes I can be lazy. Lol
★★★★★
Hi Tracy! Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and suggestions!!
One of the best recipes EVER! I used homemade beef bone broth and substituted fresh thyme and rosemary for the dried. It was absolutely delicious and so comforting on a cold rainy night – thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Angie!!
This soup is warm and bright – Perfect for a winter night. Delicious!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Allison!!
I’ve been making this soup for two years – I know the recipe by heart and it is my absolute favorite. This time of year I make it once a week without fail. I just went looking for the actual link because I’m not feeling great & my husband is planning to make it tonight and I wanted him to have the whole recipe rather than me dictating it from the couch. I don’t remember reading the actual post when I first found this but I just read it and now I can say I love this recipe even more! We’re in a much better place now! Yay. I love this recipe and it’s such a part of our lives! Thank you for it!
Thank you so much, Kelly!! I’m thrilled this soup has become part of your regular rotation! And hope you’re feeling better 🙂
After reading the comments I doubled the spices. I did not have a lemon so used half of a lime. I also had 1/2 cup on coconut milk left over so added it. Since I was using some coconut milk I replaced all oil with coconut oil. I mashed the squash before adding the beans. I was pleased with the results.
★★★★★
Thanks, Ann!! The coconut milk sounds like a yummy addition 🙂
Pingback: 15 Autumn Soups to Warm Your Belly & Your Spirits
Pingback: The Best 17 Butternut Squash Soup Recipes - Canadian Blog
I needed this post and this recipe today. Almost a full four years and I am angrier and more sad than I was in 2016. I don’t care that it’s humid and sticky today, my body needs comfort food!
★★★★★
As written, this was pretty flat in terms of flavor and needed a lot more umami. Maybe it was my commercial chicken stock? I ended up blending some of the beans and squash to thicken and increase flavor, then when that wasn’t sufficient, added some miso. The lemon juice was a bit much, and I think it’s because I used the wrong size of lemon–so a more specific amount of juice would help. Ended up going all the way to adding some sausage to boost umami, and it was still a bit too lemony even though I love lemon.
★★
I felt the same as Laura James’ review. The soup tasted flat and the lemon was too powerful. I would use less lemon the next time . My lemon must have been too large. I only had sweet potatoes on hand so I substituted them for the squash. I also thickened some of the soup with my miso blender and this helped greatly. I had to add extra vegetable stock and salt and pepper. I also threw in some brown rice that I had in the freezer. After making these adjustments, the soup was much better.
★★★
I just came upon your recipe and election thoughts. Three years later I’m not in a better place. The difference between then and know is I know exactly how bad it is. I”ll make the soup today.
Hope you enjoy this cozy soup 🙂
Excellent! Mine took linger cause I used fresh beans. My husbabd lived it! I added vegan chorizo dausage! Yummy
★★★★★
Thank you, Adelaida!! That sounds delish 🙂
Fabulous! I made with homemade turkey bone broth and added some chopped turkey. Wonderful on a cold day.
Thank you!! I bet it was incredible with that homemade broth!
Delicious recipe! Very nice combo flavors of earthy squash and beans with almost creamy texture and notes of citrus. Vegetarian, easy to convert to vegan. Versatile. I added a can of rinsed and drained black beans, along with the cannelini beans. Also used Swiss chard leaves instead of kale because that’s what I had on hand. Comes together in an hour. I covered the pot in between stirring the chunks of squash to facilitate cooking the pieces through.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Pam!!