butternut squash apple bisque

Fall weather = fall soup. At last!

Well, to be fair, I’ve been cooking and baking lots of autumn-themed dishes since fucking August, but now with a cool front sweeping through finally, it feels more justified. I’m currently garbed in a cozy sweater and sweat shorts, enjoying the silence resulting from an AC that doesn’t need to blast all day to keep the house temperate.

Today, to celebrate, we’re enjoying big bowls of Butternut Squash Apple Bisque with big hunks of cozy crusty bread for dipping. Every component of this dish is prepped on a single sheetpan, then pureed and moved into a soup pot for a quick spell of heating with broth and coconut milk.

Fully vegan, incredibly flavorful, and couldn’t be easier.

Of course, I recommend you add this to your weekly meal plan, but seriously, put it in your repertoire also for Thanksgiving. Hint: It’s part of my 2025 menu!

Butter Your Nuts

Actually, don’t.

Or if you do, please don’t tell me.

Instead, buy a big ole butternut squash and get to peeling and chopping. This is a bit of a labor, so bear with it. I wish I had more wisdom as to how you can simplify this process, but the fact is I kinda just go for it and hope I don’t lob a finger off.

Or, you can make life easier for yourself and purchase pre-cubed squash. Make sure what you buy amounts to 4 pounds. You need a lot of squash for this bitch.

Once you’ve spent half your day pruning the butternut, throw onto a big sheetpan along with a quartered apple, a quartered onion, garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, lots of olive oil, and a big hit of kosher salt and pepper. Toss everything around and distribute as evenly as you can on the sheet. Doesn’t have to be perfect – overlap is just fine here.

Roast for 25 minutes at 425 until the squash is tender.

Pur-ee Vida

Next, you can either use a big food processor or a high-speed blender. We gon whiz up this shit.

Transfer the sheetpan’s contents into your choice vessel, measure in some maple syrup and bourbon (the latter is optional FYI, but so tasty), and blitz until very smooth and creamy. I let my food processor whirlybird around while I cleaned some dishes.

Pour some broth into a big pot and switch the heat to medium. Scrape all that butternut goodness into the pot, dump in a can of coconut milk, and warm for a bit. Taste for seasonings as needed.

I top each bowl with a swirl of cream and some crumbled tofu bacon. See recipe card for my formula. You can also use regular bacon or crispy prosciutto!

Make it a meal by pairing with some maple cider salmon and a good crisp kale salad. Baguette, too, of course. I’m actually whipping up a modgepodge lentil salad to get some protein in, and because a can of lentils has haunted my countertop for a week and I want it to fuck off.

Leftovers? This soup freezes beautifully. I like to stow it in ziptop bags once the soup is completely cooled and set in the freezer for up to 3 months. To warm, plop the mass (not the bag, just the contents) into a saucepan and heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally.

Cheers, friends! Soup to start the week shoos away the scaries. That’s just science.

(PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIBLING! YOU’RE OFFICIALLY CLOSER TO 40 THAN 30!)

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Nuts for butternuts:

One Skillet Apple Cider Glazed Salmon and Butternut Squash Pilaf

Roasted BBQ Butternut Squash Harvest Pizza

Crispy Baked Butternut Squash Apple Pizza

Stovetop Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Simple Butternut Squash Coconut Curry

butternut squash apple bisque

A creamy and naturally sweet fall staple cooked up on one sheetpan!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Side Dish, Soup

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 4 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
• 1 medium honeycrisp apple, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp bourbon (optional)
• 2-3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 4-5 strips tofu or regular bacon, crumbled

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
• On the baking sheet, toss the butternut squash, onion, apple, garlic, and rosemary with 3 tablespoons olive oil and a big pinch each of kosher salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp). Spread the contents as evenly as you can over the pan. Some overlap is okay!
• Bake 25 minutes until the veggies and apple are soft and tender.
• Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor or high-speed blender. You may have to do this in batches. Add the maple syrup and bourbon (if using) and blitz until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Pour the puree into a large soup pot or Dutch oven and stir in the broth and coconut milk. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Heat until warmed through.
• Serve the soup with crumbled bacon and lots of crusty bread.

Notes

*Tofu bacon:

• Drain and press a block of extra firm tofu to remove excess water for about 5-10 minutes. I make a homemade press by placing paper towels on a large plate, then the tofu, then more towels, another plate, and a skillet.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Slice the tofu very thin (as thin as you can without breaking it) and place onto the baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, chili powder, and black pepper. Pour over the tofu and, using a basting brush, coat each slice. Flip, and brush the sauce over the opposite side. Let sit while the oven heats.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking time. Let cool on the baking sheet: the tofu will continue to crisp up.

Keyword apple, bisque, butternut squash, fall, maple, rosemary, side dish, soup, thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian