Description
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, a simple fall squash soup thanks to pressure cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3- to 4-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into a rough ½-inch dice
- 2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade broth (or vegetable broth, or water)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (½ teaspoon if using store-bought broth)
- 1 sprig fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme, tied together
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg (about 4 grates)
Sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics: In an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, melt the butter over Sauté mode (medium heat in a stovetop PC). Add the onion, garlic, and 1 cup of the diced squash. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
- Everything in the pot: Add the rest of the diced squash, stir in the chicken broth, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Float the bundle of fresh herbs on top.
- Pressure cook for 5 minutes with a 15 minute natural release: Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes (“manual” or “pressure cook” mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Season, blend, and serve: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Fish out the bundle of herbs. Stir in the brown sugar and sprinkle with the fresh grated nutmeg. (I grate it directly into the pot, and eyeball the amount.) With an immersion blender, puree the soup in the Instant Pot, blending it until everything is smooth. (If you have to use a regular blender, work in batches, don’t fill the blender more than half full, and hold the lid down with a towel as you blend.) Serve, adding a spoonful of sour cream to each bowl of soup.
Notes
- Pre-cut butternut squash is a great shortcut. Use about 2 pounds of pre-cut squash in the recipe.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
- Immersion blender (or regular blender)
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American