Butternut Squash-White Bean Soup

If you are looking for a good fall soup recipe, this is it! Mike and I loved it.

I have made this soup several times and we've always loved it, texture and all! It's a great, hearty soup for cold weather and it has a little kick. I crisp a few extra bacon slices because we like sprinkling a little extra on top. I've also never put pumpkin seeds on it because I don't usually have that on-hand. I agree with another reviewer that cooking it a little longer helps the flavors come together.

Wonderful flavor! I followed other reviewers and blitzed it some. I will make it again and would cut back just a little on the red pepper. The spice of the red pepper slightly overwhelmed the flavor. (I wonder how it'd taste if you roasted the butternut then add it in the second boil.) Definitely let this sit for a bit to let the flavors meld some.

This is a lovely fall soup. The combination of flavors works really well; however, after making this recipe several times, I found a long, slow simmer (about 60-90 minutes) allows the complex flavors to marry better and produces a better-tasting soup. I toast my own raw pumpkin seeds in the oven using a bit of cooking spray and sprinkle of sea salt - so much better than purchased version. Each ingredient is important in the overall finished recipe; don't omit anything. The crispy bacon and crunchy pumpkin seeds are the perfect garnish! So yummy, filling and comforting!

FANTASTIC! This is a 'go to' soup and without exception, friends and family love it. While it is good as written, some of my modifications include: 1. I use a hand-held blender and give it a couple quick 'whizzes'. This makes it a bit less chunky (w/ the beans/squash) and a bit thicker. 2. To add a little 'kick', I add spicy andouille sausage at the very end of cooking. 3. A side of corn bread tastes delicious with this soup And one last thing: A review noted that he/she used dry oregano. I used dried oregano once and learned that fresh oregano is much, much better.

I really think that making this recipe is a waste of time and ingredients, it taste weird, I'll never make it again!!! Who works in the test kitchen?

I really wanted to like it, but there was nothing special about this soup. The flavors were just okay and cumin heavy, and like others, I didn't care for the texture. I would try pureeing the squash as others suggested if I had the ingredients and it was cold outside.

I realized after making this that I have made this soup before. It has a good flavor, but there is something about it that is not appealing to me. I think it's the squash and beans floating in a murky broth. Although I like the taste it's just not something I would make again and again. I made as written with the exception of using dried Oregano. I made the cornmeal scones, which I have made multiple times and love with soup. I had a bowl of it today as written, but I ended up pureeing the rest because I just don't think I would have looked forward to eating it as it was.

I have made this recipe several times now. Every time I make it I worry that it's not going to be good, but it always is. As other reviewers have suggested, I do puree the squash mixture in the blender; this time I added half the beans, pureed everything, and then added the other half of the beans. (I like a pretty creamy, smooth soup.) In the past I have substituted 1% milk for the cream and veggie stock for the chicken and it has been fine every time. In the past I used pumpkin seeds from the store on top and didn't like them, but this time I followed another reviewer's suggestion and roasted the seeds from the squash with a little bit of butter, brown sugar, cumin, and salt... awesome! Tonight I'm serving this with CL's Brussels Sprouts and Rice Casserole and crusty white bread, with the rest of the wine used for cooking. Yum! I would definitely serve this to company... I especially like making it for people who don't think they like squash because they are usually pleasantly surprised! A hint for quick prep: even though I only used 1/2 a squash for the recipe, I cubed the rest and froze it so it will be quicker next time.

YUM!!! A taste of this soup made all the peeling and chopping of the butternut squash worthwhile (I wish there was an easier way since I love butternut!). I had everything on hand except the cream (and I did use dried oregano instead of fresh) and since I am in NE Iowa where the temps are -10 I didn't go out and get any - instead I did not drain my beans (yes, sodium and all) when I added them. It was excellent! I was tempted to have a second bowl. My husband and I eat differently; I am mostly vegetarian and he's a meat and potatoes guy so I get to have this all to myself. I will make this often and serve to guests; I may also try chick peas instead of beans next time - spices were perfect as is.