Velvety smooth and naturally sweet, this Hubbard Squash Soup is perfect for the fall season! Fresh and healthy, there's no cream in this squash soup. It's easy to make with a natural hazelnut flavor. Autumn bliss in a bowl!
Hubbard Squash Soup
I use to be a part of a lunch co-op at my office where each of us would come up with a wide range of recipes and share with our group. We ended up getting some amazing recipes, like this Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole. At our October lunch co-op, one of our members named Bob brought in this hubbard squash soup. It's fall...it made sense and as we all sat down to eat, we were astonished at how amazing it tasted. I asked him for the recipe and he said, "I have no idea what I did! I started out following some girl's recipe for butternut squash with rice balls and then it got weird with the rice ball stuff so I just started making my own version with a hubbard squash and BAM...we ended up with a really good soup!"
Isn't that how it always works? The best recipes just happen!
What is Hubbard Squash?
There's actually 3 types of hubbard squash. Blue, Golden, and Green.
- Blue Hubbard Squash - is a winter squash and tastes sweet, like a sweet potato, and has a natural nutty taste. Think hazelnut with this one. They can grow to be quiet large and have a light blue shell that is extremely hard and not edible like most summer squash. When cut open, the squash has a deep orange colored flesh. They can be really hard to find. I've never seen one in a grocery store, but I have seen them in Sprouts and Whole Foods in October and November. When you spot one, snatch it up because it's the best type of squash for this recipe. Blue Hubbard Squash is my all time favorite squash because of its mild sweet taste. It's the perfect squash for making soups.
- Golden Hubbard Squash - has a hard orange shells and is shaped more like a teardrop. This squash is the sweetest tasting of the hubbard squashes. Most people use this type of squash for canning or decorating for the fall season.
- Green Hubbard Squash - the most commonly found in the hubbard family. The shell has a deep green color. The flesh is more of an orange-yellow color. Similar to the kabocha squash, it's great for roasting.
Video: How To Make Hubbard Squash Soup
I think visuals are super helpful, so I made a video showing you how easy it is to make this soup!
Hubbard Squash Soup Ingredients
- Hubbard Squash - if you can find a blue hubbard squash, use it in this recipe. If not, use a green hubbard squash.
- Olive Oil - used to baste the squash when roasting.
- Butter - helps make this soup creamy. Use a salted butter.
- White Rice Flour - the thickening agent that provides a sweet taste.
- Nutmeg - provides that wonderful autumn flavor.
- Salt/Pepper - used to enhance the flavor.
How To Make Hubbard Squash Soup
- Preheat Oven - Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the squash horizontally: Using a sharp knife, cut the squash. Be really careful when you do this because the shell is very hard. Once the squash is cut, scoop out the seeds and discard, or use them in recipes for broth or this spiced squash soup.
- Baste with olive oil: Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl and liberally brush the oil onto both pieces of squash. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper for added taste.
Roasted Squash
- Roast the squash: Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place both squash flesh side up. Bake the squash for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the flesh is soft. By the way, your house is about to smell really amazing!
- Scoop and Puree: When the squash has finished roasting, take an ice cream scoop and scoop out the roasted squash. Place in a blender or food processor. With my Hubbard squash, I had about 3 cups of squash after I was finished scooping. Slowly add a cup of water to your blender or food processor and puree until your squash is soft and silky.
- Expert Tip - You want your consistency to be a little on the liquid side after the puree.
Cooking Squash Soup
- Add squash puree, rice flour, butter, nutmeg and water: Once the squash has been pureed, move the mixture to a large pot. The stove-top cooking temperature should be set to medium-high. Add in the rice flour, 2 more cups of water, salt, pepper, butter and ground nutmeg.
- Cook and Simmer: Cook the soup until it comes to a rolling boil. Turn down the burner to medium heat once it reaches the rolling boil. Let your soup simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring as needed. Add more salt and pepper as needed per your taste. You are now ready to serve.
- Toppings: I love topping this soup with brown sugar. I typically add a teaspoon on top and it melts down into the soup. I also top this soup with roasted pumpkin seeds, scallions, sour cream, and fresh cranberries.
Squash Substitutes
Blue hubbard squash is by far the best squash to use for this soup, but if you can't find a hubbard squash you can use butternut squash for this recipe. Kabocha, also called Japanese Squash, is also a great squash to substitute.
Where Can I Buy Hubbard Squash?
Hubbard squash can be hard to find, but I've been successful finding them in Sprouts and Whole Foods. I've never seen one in my local grocery store, but if you talk to your local grocer and put in a request, they can typically place an order for you. I've been successful in doing this with several different types of foods. If you're a gardener, you can go online and buy Hubbard Squash seeds to plant in your garden.
What To Serve With Hubbard Squash Soup
My Quick Peppery Cheese Bread is absolute heaven with this squash soup recipe. It's full of savory cheese and black pepper and perfectly with a bowl of this delicious comforting soup. This cheese bread recipe is gluten free and is simple to make!
More Delicious Soups To Try
- Autumn Vegetable and Black Bean Soup
- Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
- Kale and Leek Soup
- Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
- Tomato and White Bean Soup
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Hubbard Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Hubbard Squash
- 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons rice flour
- 3 cups of water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Start out by cutting your squash horizontally. Again, be really careful cutting your squash, regardless of the type you choose to use. Once it’s cut, scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard.
- Brush the 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil onto the flesh of your squash until it’s lightly covered. Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly to season.
- On a silipat or a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, place the squash flesh side up. Bake the squash for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the flesh is soft.
- When the squash is done, take an ice cream scooper and scoop out the squash. Place in a blender or food processor. With my Hubbard squash, I had about 3 to 3 ½ cups of squash after I was finished scooping.
- Slowly add a cup of water to your blender/food processor and puree until your squash is pureed. You want your consistency to be a little on the liquid side after the puree.
- Once the squash has been pureed, move the mixture to a large pot. Cooking temperature should be set to medium-high. Add in the rice flour, 2 more cups of water, salt, pepper, butter and ground nutmeg. Cook the soup until it comes to a rolling boil. Turn down the burner to medium heat once it reaches the rolling boil.
- Let your soup simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring as needed. Add more salt and pepper as needed per your taste.
- Top this soup off with your favorite toppings! I used sour cream and scallions. Enjoy this one!
Video
Nutrition
Melinda Bockover
Can you freeze this soup?
Amanda Mason
Yes! Absolutely you can freeze this soup for up to 3 months in the freezer!
Angela
Hello! Can I use cornstarch instead of rice flour?
Amanda Mason
Hi Angela! I've not used cornstarch for this recipe. I'm not sure if would work the same. You can try it and see, but I don't think it will render the results you are looking for.
Kristi Nebel
Ours are blue hubbard and big as dinosaurs. I got around 5 cups of meat which didn't have a very nutty, sweet taste; in fact it was a bit bland. I doctored the recipe adding a cup more of water, 1/2 teaspoon more of salt, a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of sugar. Also I added another 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract plus a teaspoon of lemon juice and one more tablespoon of butter. I blended the meat with the water in four parts of each to save time. The results were very good; my husband loved it. I'm freezing the leftovers for another meal.
Amanda Mason
Hi Kristi! I'm a bit jealous of your blue hubbard squash!! They are hard to find here!! Your adds sound delicious! I'm so glad you loved this recipe and that you were able to freeze a lot of leftovers! Thanks for writing in to let me know how it turned out!!!
Tom Gibson
The Hubbard I used was a big one like yours which had been successfully stored in our cellar since November believe it or not. Like you, I similarly had to adjust. I did most of the things you mentioned except for adding almond extract and I used brown sugar instead of honey and regular sugar, and regular flour instead of rice flour since none of us are on a gluten free diet. After several modifications/ additions in response to taste sampling, it actually turned out pretty good. I'll have to try the almond extract next time.
Amanda Mason
Hi Tom - i'm glad you liked it but you did modify the recipe quite a bit lol! Rice flour is very sweet, and if you used regular flour it probably changed the taste substantially. But I'm glad you liked your version. Food recipes really involve chemistry; everytime you modify an ingredient or amount it really does change the original recipe 🙂
Thomas Gibson
Thanks Amanda. I'll try to use rice flour next time, but it won't be until Fall since I've now used up all of our stored squash. The only times I've used rice flour has been in gluten free recipes but it looks like I should be using it more often for its taste rather than just due to the fact that it is gluten free.
Amanda Mason
Hi Thomas! I can't wait to hear how the rice flour turns out for you in the fall so let me know!!
Garth
Great Recipe
Amanda Mason
Yeah! So glad you liked it!!
Nina
Hi! I've noticed that the Hubbard squash comes in different sizes. Could you please suggest how much to use in cups or by weight?
Amanda Mason
Hi Nina! In step 5 it says this: "With my Hubbard squash, I had about 3 to 3 1/2 cups of squash after I was finished scooping." I hope that helps you!