Panera Autumn Squash Soup Recipe
With rich, buttery flavor, warm spices, and a velvety smooth texture, this Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup tastes just like the real thing! Make it on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot!
Servings: 6 bowls of soup
Equipment
- Pressure cooker, slow cooker, dutch oven or stock pot
- Blender - immersion or standard
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- garlic - 3 cloves, smashed (stovetop, slow cooker & Instant Pot) OR 1 whole head (oven-roasted method)
- 3-3 ½ lbs. butternut squash peeled, cubed, filling/seeds removed
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
- 1 apple peeled and cubed, sweet variety like honeycrisp or pink lady
- ⅔ 15 oz. canned pumpkin puree (eyeball it) 100% pure pumpkin, NOT pie filling
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch cayenne or more to taste
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock veggie stock/broth can be subbed
- ½ cup cream of choice heavy cream, unsweetened canned coconut milk, half & half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Toppings
- pumpkin seeds / pepitas
- brown sugar, splash of cream, pinch of salt
- bread on the side, or sourdough bread bowl to serve in
Instructions
- Prep veggies per the ingredient list above - peeling and chopping and all ingredients.
Oven Roasting Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the butternut squash, onion, carrots, apple, and whole head of garlic (slice off the top of the garlic to expose the cloves) onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 35-45 minutes, or until the squash and carrots are fork-tender and the vegetables are caramelized. Allow them to cool slightly, then squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the head and transfer everything to a blender along with the stock, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and remaining seasonings, then continue to the puree step below.
Stove Top Method
- Use a stock pot or dutch oven. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, butternut squash, carrots, apple, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, or once the squash begins to soften, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the garlic and remaining seasonings. Stir and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add stock, brown sugar, and pumpkin puree. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is fork tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Continue to the puree step.
Slow Cooker Method
- In a crock pot, add all of the ingredients except the cream. Cook on low for 4-6 hours/ 3 hours on high, or until the squash and carrots are tender and falling apart. Continue to the puree step.
Instant Pot Cooking Method
- On the saute mode, add two tablespoons of olive oil, then add the onions and cook for 2 minutes to get a little browning. Then add the carrots, apple and squash. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cream.
- Mix well then pressure cook for 10 minutes. Natural steam release once finished cooking. Continue to the puree step.
Puree Soup & Serve
- Use an upright blender to puree until velvety smooth (or an immersion blender if applicable). Allow mixture to safely cool first so it does not erupt.
- Add cream to the soup base while it's warm, taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
- When serving, to each bowl add pepitas, a small dash more cream, a sprinkle of salt and brown sugar!
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal