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It’s a little sad to admit but I’m a mean mom. Probably one of the meanest. I don’t let my kids have a dog. There you go, it’s out there. I swear everyone we talk to lately is getting a dog and my kids (include Cade on this one) want a dog desperately. And I am just choosing to ignore them while I sit here slurping away on this creamy, lovely butternut squash soup with cinnamon sugar croutons. Yup, I’m the meanest, but hopefully McCormick Gourmet Spices will forgive me since this post isn’t about dogs, it’s about their awesome spices and how to bust out seasonal eating.
And it’s not that I don’t love my kiddos enough to give them something they really want, it’s not even that I hate dogs, in fact I will fully admit that while some are totally cute it’s actually that I’m super allergic to them. I normally don’t tell people that. It always gets a little awkward when people find out. I say I’m allergic and suddenly everyone is worried about me and the dog being in the same room etc. And that’s fine because let’s be honest, I hate the crotch sniffing and licking anyway, but I do feel kinda bad that they have to lock away a family member just for me. Thankfully when we have someone over to entertain we don’t have to worry about that. Instead I try to wow them with something seasonal and delicious.
Kind of like this soup. We’ve talked a few times with McCormick (like, 5 things you should do to your garden in prep for next year, Fried Potatoes and tips for using produce, and of course our basic gardening tips.) about how to be more seasonal in our eating and what’s more seasonal than butternut squash right now? I wanted to show you a recipe that is a good example of using spices that smell good with your seasonal produce to help inspire you and this one is perfect.
There’s something lovely about that Saigon Cinnamon and when you smell it with the squash it literally smells like a chilly fall evening. And then I got a little crazy and added cinnamon sugar croutons because why the heck not? Plus, it’s one more chance to use that lovely cinnamon.
Can Butternut Squash Be Cooked in a Microwave?
Butternut squash can be cooked in a microwave.
Cut in pieces, cover and cook.
Or, you can cook whole butternut squash in the microwave.
Cut several slits into the flesh to allow steam to escape as it cooks.
A medium-sized squash will take about 10 minutes to cook in the microwave.
Is Butternut Squash Good For You?
Butternut squash is a good source of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, and many other nutrients.
A cup of cubed butternut squash provides more potassium than the amount available in a banana.
What Squash Could Substitute for Butternut Squash?
You can use any winter squash, including butternut, buttercup, hubbard, sugar pumpkin, and acorn, interchangeably in recipes.
Butternut squash is smoother textured and less stringy than some of the other winter squash, but you can use any of them.
Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon Sugar Croutons
Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon Sugar Croutons
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Water
- 3 Pounds Butternut Squash, peeled and chopped
- 5 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon [McCormick Gourmet Saigon Cinnamon]
Cinnamon Sugar Croutons
- 6 Slices White Bread, good quality, crusts removed, cubed
- 3 1/2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
- 6 teaspoons Sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons [McCormick Gourmet Saigon cinnamon]
Instructions
- In a steamer or large pot with a steamer basket add the water to the bottom and the squash to the basket.3 Pounds Butternut Squash, 3 Cups Water
- Cover and steam for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
- Remove the squash and set aside the liquid.
- You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
- Puree the squash with a little of the steaming liquid in batches until smooth.
- In a large stock pot, melt the butter and add the squash and nutmeg.5 Tablespoons Butter, 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
- Stir in the milk and heavy cream, and brown sugar, season to taste.1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, 1 Cup Milk, 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar, 1/2 teaspoon [McCormick Gourmet Saigon Cinnamon]
- Serve with cinnamon sugar croutons
Croutons
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl add the bread and butter, and toss to combine.6 Slices White Bread, 3 1/2 Tablespoons Butter
- In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the bread, then toss again.6 teaspoons Sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons [McCormick Gourmet Saigon cinnamon]
- Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 9 minutes.
- Serve with soup if you can resist eating them all
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Golden Loaded Baked Potato Soup- Our family’s favorite!
Tastes like lasagna soup
Basil would be such a cute name for your future dog!!! So many non allergic dogs…Coton de Tulear etc.
Hi Joan! That would be such a cute dog name!
It’s okay. I wouldn’t say butternut squash soup is a main dinner dish. Maybe a lunch, but it took a long time to prepare.
It’s a very light soup. This kind of surprised me. I expected more substance.
The instructions to “season to taste” always confuse me. I asked my wife to give it a taste. She added more cinnamon. A lot more cinnamon! What I estimate to be several tablespoons worth of cinnamon. In the end it tasted good, but I won’t be making this again. My family was pretty unimpressed by it. No one disliked it, or at least didn’t say as much. They just didn’t “like” it.
Gotta make what your family will eat, right?
Absolutely! And “season to taste” generally means salt or salt and pepper.
How many cups is butternut squash is that! I will use frozen cubed squash from Trader Joe’s. Thanks!
Hi Mary Ann! A 3 pound squash is about 4 1/2 cups of uncooked cubed squash. Enjoy!
Yummy! I love your blog so much it breaks my heart into pieces because I can’t have it.
You should really give credit to Cook’s Illustrated for this recipe, as it is nearly identical to theirs. I have heard that they do not take kindly to bloggers who pass their very well researched and tested recipes off as their own. Just a heads up.
Hi, Thanks for taking the time to comment. Unfortunately, it’s actually not a Cook’s Illustrated recipe so I’d feel a little funny linking up if I don’t have that recipe to verify anything. I tried to look it up to see for myself as I work with America’s Test Kitchen every so often and would hate to ever appear to be doing anything like that, but unfortunately it says you have to have a membership so I can’t see the recipe. Here’s the link, https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/6686-butternut-squash-soup#.. Feel free to email me the recipe if you’d like, but again it’s not a copied or adapted recipe. Just inspired from a friend’s recipe and a local restaurant’s croutons. thanks, “a friend”…
So I’m the idiot that is super allergic to dogs and yet has one anyway. I get allergy shots and take far too much over the counter medicine just to survive but you’ll still find me with a box of tissues in hand pretty much 24/7 when I’m at home. Don’t feel bad, you’re the smart one! And this soup…so creamy and amazing looking!
Awww, I’m such a dog person. I’m not sure what I’d do if I had an allergy! Also those croutons are all kinds of awesome!
genius croutons! this looks so fab!
I’m definitely a crouton girl!