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Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Ham

This Creamy Butternut Squash Soup is silky, smooth, and packed with cozy fall flavors. Roasted butternut squash, apples, onions, and garlic create a naturally sweet and caramelized base, blended with warming spices and a touch of cream for indulgence. Stir in leftover ham, or use the ham bone to make the broth, for a subtle smoky note. Top with croutons, candied pumpkin seeds, or crispy ham for texture and flavor. Perfect for fall dinners, holiday meals, or cozy weeknight soups.
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Ingredients

  • 1 leftover ham bone
  • 4 c. chicken bone broth or vegetable broth
  • 2 c. Water
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 5 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeds removed and cubed
  • 2 apples peeled, cored, and halved
  • 1 small sweet onion large chop
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 oz creme fraiche
  • 2/3 c. Heavy cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425F.
  • Add ham bone, broth, water, and fresh herbs to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to simmer and cook 1 hour. While cooking, roast vegetables.
  • Add butternut squash, onion, apple, and whole garlic cloves to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasonings and then drizzle with oil and maple syrup. Mix together to coat everything and then spread evenly on baking sheet.
  • Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until roasted well.
  • After ham bone is simmered for 1 hour, remove herbs and set aside the ham bone from broth.
  • Add roasted vegetables to broth. Puree using an immersion blender until it is smooth (you can also use a food processor if you don’t have an immersion blender, but you might have to do it in batches).
  • Once smooth, add in the creme fraiche and slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while pureeing again. Return to the stove and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • While simmering, remove excess ham from the bone and dice up into small pieces. Add the ham to the soup and stir (reserve some ham pieces to fry up to top the soup with it).
  • Add to a bowl and top with croutons, candied pumpkin seeds, fried ham, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Notes

Top with croutons, candied pumpkin seeds, fried ham, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Don't have a ham bone?  That's okay, tastes great even without that! Just add the spices to the broth, water, and roasted vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes.