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This high protein butternut squash soup is an easy, healthy recipe where oven roasted butternut squash is blended into bone broth and cottage cheese. The result is a creamy, delicious, nutritious, and protein packed soup that is perfect as a starter or main.
I have been on a mission to add more protein to my diet lately because it keeps me full and satisfied. I have always loved butternut squash soup, but most classic recipes only have 2 grams of protein in a bowl. This high protein version has 10 grams of protein in a bowl.
That is because there is both bone broth and cottage cheese in this recipe, which both are known for having a high protein content. If you like cooking with bone broth, try my mushroom quinoa risotto, tomato soup, or bone broth gravy recipes.
Table of Contents
What makes this recipe great
- It is incredibly healthy! Butternut squash is filled with vitamin A and cartenoids. It is a great source of potassium as well. Bone broth is great for your gut and helps to reduce inflammation. Cottage cheese helps support bone health.
- It is high in protein. For a vegetable soup recipe without any meat inside, this butternut squash soup has more protein than usual. One bowl has 10 grams of protein. I usually have two bowls as a main meal, which is 20 grams.
- It is low in calories. One bowl has about 132 calories.
- It is easy to make. All you have to do is roast the butternut squash and blend it into the rest of the ingredients.
- It is delicious! Add some healthy almond flour crackers, garlic bread, or homemade croutons to your soup and you are good to go.
Recipe ingredients
- Butternut squash– try to get one that is around 3-3.5 pounds for this recipe.
- Cottage cheese– use a good quality small curd cottage cheese. This mixes better into soup recipes.
- Bone broth– buy good quality bone broth. I personally like the one from Kettle and Fire best because it is made with clean simple ingredients.
- Shallot and garlic– these give good flavor to the soup.
- Thyme, sage, cumin, nutmeg– these spices are used to season the soup.
- Honey– this adds a nice sweetness to the soup.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of bone broth, you can use veggie broth or chicken stock, but the protein content of the soup will not be as high.
- Instead of shallot, you can use white onion.
- Instead of honey, you can use maple syrup
- You can tweak the seasonings to your liking. You can add ginger, or chili or curry powder or paprika. Try my butternut squash and carrot soup if like using a bit of ginger.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Rub olive oil, and spices on your butternut squash. Add the garlic and shallot to the pan as well.
Step 2: Flip the butternut squash over so the skin is up before baking.
Step 3: Roast butternut squash until soft.
Step 4: Add the bone broth and spices to a soup pan.
Step 5: Add the roasted butternut squash (without skin), garlic and shallot to the soup pan and boil for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Add the cottage cheese to the soup pan and use an immersion blender to mix. OR add everything to a blender and mix.
Step 7: Mix until the soup is smooth.
Step 8: Serve in bowls.
Expert Tips
- Prep tips. Make sure butternut squash is fork tender or your soup won’t be smooth. So just test it out before taking it out of the oven.
- Season the soup to taste. Once everything is blended taste it and see if you need to add any other seasonings.
- How to store leftovers. Pour the soup into an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- How to freeze leftovers. Pour the soup into an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
You do not need to peel the butternut before roasting it. Once it is roasted, the skin easily peels off.
It is! Butternut squash is filled with vitamin A and cartenoids. It is a great source of potassium as well. Bone broth is great for your gut and helps to reduce inflammation.
You can serve it as a starter. You can also double the serving size and serve it as a main, along with a lemon salad, and roast chicken.
Other protein packed soups you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
High Protein Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, ( about 3-3.5 lbs), cut in half and with the seeds removed
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 shallot, peeled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage, divided
- 4 cups bone broth
- 3/4 cup small curd cottage cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil.
- Cover the cut sides of the butternut squash with 1/2 Tbs olive oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme, and 1/2 tsp rubbed sage. Place the squash face down (cut sides down) on the cookie sheet. Add the garlic cloves and shallot to the pan and cover in olive oil. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until soft ( the time it takes to soften depends on how thick it is). Set aside to cool.
- Add 4 cups of bone broth, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp rubbed sage and 1 Tbs honey to a large soup pan.
- Remove the butternut squash peel, and cut the butternut squash into cubes. Add the roasted squash, garlic and shallot to the soup pan. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add the cottage cheese to the pan, then puree the soup using an immersion blender OR put all of the ingredient's into a blender. Mix until smooth.
Notes
- Prep tips. Make sure butternut squash is fork tender or your soup won’t be smooth. So just test it out before taking it out of the oven.
- Season the soup to taste. Once everything is blended taste it and see if you need to add any other seasonings.
- How to store leftovers. Pour the soup into an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- How to freeze leftovers. Pour the soup into an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The creaminess from the cottage cheese gave a really good texture. Tasteful.
What is the serving size?Â
The whole soup is divided into 6 servings. This was roughly 1.5 cups a serving for me.
Can you use greek yogurt in place of the cottage cheese?
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not?? Let me know if you try it!