Last Updated on January 4, 2026
This tomato and butternut squash soup is something of a revelation for me – in the past, I’ve focussed on butternut squash as the hero ingredient in soups – and for reasons best described as laziness, I’ve avoided making butternut squash soup too often While the flavour and texture is superb I’ve struggled to prepare them – hard to peel and hard to chop it doesn’t always seem worth the effort. Of course, there are those tempting little bags, but where possible I don’t buy preprepared vegetables or fruit. They are generally horrendously overpriced and once any protective peel is removed, they begin to degrade and lose nutrients. While storing cut vegetables in the refrigerator in air-tight containers can slow down the nutrient loss, I always wonder how long those convenient bags have been hanging around in-store before they make it home with me – let alone before I get round to cooking But, I’m a butternut squash convert thanks to my instant pot and the discovery that you can easily soften them either whole in the oven or cut in half in an instant pot.
Skip straight to my recipe for tomato and butternut squash soup
This time, I used the instant pot – it took just 30 minutes on high, steaming the de-seeded halves with just a cup of water at the bottom of the pot. At that point, the butternut squash was the same kind of texture as cooked carrots – soft but not mushy and really easy to peel and chop up. And, because I was using half of the squash to make soup, I didn’t even need to wash the pan!
Butternut squash IS something of a miracle ingredient in my view because it adds a lovely creamy texture to dishes when pureed down with far fewer calories than butter, dairy cream or coconut milk. For this soup, I used about 400g of butternut squash, three small brown onions, a few leftover bits of celery and a carrot together with a can of chopped tomatoes, some smoked paprika and a bit of chopped ginger. You could vary the spicing to your own taste – it would work well with fresh or ground coriander or perhaps with a touch of cumin. The ginger added a fresh zing to the end result and, topped with a dollop of yoghurt I had what seemed to be a very healthy yet very satisfying lunch.
Butternut squash is not only tasty but also packs a punch of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. Technically a fruit, Butternut squash is low in calories but high in many nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. With just 45 calories per 100g, it’s a good ingredient to thicken a soup and add a creamy texture. It’s a good partner for tomatoes too.
I’ve made my soup in the instant pot, but you could easily use a stockpot on the hob, it will just take a little longer to cook. I blended the cooked soup with a stick blender so that I could keep an eye on the finished texture. If you prefer to use a liquidiser, take care not to over-blend the mix. And, simply because I didn’t have any fresh stock, I used a teaspoon of marigold bouillon. If you prefer to use a stock cube, pick chicken or vegetable and I’d suggest using just half a cube.
Here’s the recipe to try for yourself. I’ve suggested 500ml of water, but you may want to increase or reduce that to get the texture of soup that works best for you.
Tomato and Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 400 g butternut squash
- 400 g can of chopped tomatoes
- 3 small brown onions
- 1 stick celery
- 1 small carrot
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 5 grams fresh ginger
- 500 ml water
Instructions
- Peel and slice the onions.
- Put them in the instant pot on the saute setting or stockpot with the olive oil and cook gently over a low heat
- Prepare the celery, butternut squash and carrot by peeling and chopping into chunks
- Add the paprika to the cooking pot and stir through to release the oils for a few seconds
- Add the celery, butternut squash and carrot and mix well. Continue to saute/cook over a low heat
- Peel and dice the ginger and add to the pot
- Add the tomato and water. Season well with pepper and a little salt
- If you are using an instant pot seal and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes
- For a conventional hob method, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 40-50 minutes or so till all the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking
- Blend with a stick blender until you have the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve with a dollop of yoghurt or creme fraiche.
Nutrition
An easy, delicious and comforting soup