Butternut squash soup is usually one of those dishes that I enjoy when I go out, because really, who has time to make it? You have to bake the squash, then cook it together on the stove, then take a blender and blend it all together. All that for a side dish? If it were just me it might be my main dish, but I have boys in my family, and they need more.
I like butternut squash soup enough to have made it from scratch on special occasions. So I got to thinking, wouldn’t it be great to make this a regular lunch dish that I could make almost as fast as I can make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese?
So I came up with an Instant Pot butternut squash soup recipe that I can make in just minutes. That’s the great thing about pressure cooking – you can make real whole food fast.
Turns out that butternut squash is a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin E. It’s a healthy whole food that you can easily grow. It tastes similar to pumpkin and is actually used in place of pumpkin in the commercially canned pumpkin puree.
Butternut squash is relatively new as far as gourds go. It was developed in the 1930s by Charles A. Leggett. He was looking to develop a squash that could travel well and was easier to cut.
Thankfully, the butternut squash will last a good long while in storage. I’m writing this post in March and I pulled my squash out of storage to develop this recipe. So they do well at room temperature in the winter and will last for several months in a cool dry place.
The seeds can also be roasted like you would pumpkin seeds. You won’t get as many seeds out of a butternut squash as you would a pumpkin, but if you’re cooking in large batches it might be worth roasting them, or if you’re like me and are the only person in your house who likes roasted squash seeds then it’s just enough.
You will need:
2 medium butternut squash
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon clove
½ medium onion
3 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon cinnamon
honey –to taste (optional)
Chicken–cooked and shredded (optional)
How To Make Butternut Squash Soup In The Instant Pot
Go ahead and wash your squash. Here is the recipe to the veggie wash I use.
Peel your squash. You can just cut your squash in half and pop it in the Instant Pot and cook it that way, however, then you’d need to take it out and remove the skin. It’s a little extra work to peel it, but I think it saves time in the end. Plus the spices will cook together better if you put them in together with the squash.
Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds.
Then cube it.
Chop ½ an onion.
Grate your ginger.
Using the saute function cook butter, onion and ginger on high for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add all other ingredients except the cream and honey (if using).
Hit manual and then navigate to 10 minutes. Make sure the pressure release handle is set to sealing. (HP 10m QR)
When the timer goes off then release the pressure by turning the pressure release handle to venting. You can place a towel loosely over the handle. Remember to never put pressure on or obstruct the pressure release value in any way.
When all the pressure is released take off the lid and using an immersion blender blend up the soup.
Then add the cream.
Blend in the cream.
Serve as a main or side dish depending on your appetite and/or the appetite of your family. Do you serve butternut squash soup as a side dish or main dish?
