Butternut Squash Bisque with Maple Whipped Cream

Butternut squash bisque topped with maple whipped cream is a fun and elegant winter recipe – that won’t ruin your diet. This vegetarian soup will be your new favorite!

Raise your hand if you’ve already failed at your New Year’s healthy-eating resolutions. Both of mine are raised high. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if New Year’s resolutions were made in July, when produce is in season and it’s actually warm enough out that a salad doesn’t seem like punishment?

In winter, soup is my healthy eating secret weapon. Butternut squash bisque is warm, comforting, and nutritious. The soup itself it dairy free, but topping it with Maple Whipped Cream adds an elegant touch and the perfect hint of sweetness. You can add as little or as much as you want, depending on your diet goals that day.

To make this butternut squash bisque, start by roasting the squash and shallot to intensify their flavor. Once the vegetables are roasted, transfer the vegetables to your blender and puree it with apple cider and vegetable stock to thin it out.

I love using premade vegetable stock, since it’s an easy way to add a goof layer of base flavor without having to go through the effort of chopping carrots and celery yourself. It also shaves off a ton of cooking time, since the flavors don’t need as much coaxing in order to fully develop.

One the soup is the consistency you like, transfer it to a pot and heat it through. If you have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, you can also just crank it up to high and let it heat the soup the rest of the way for you.

The maple whipped cream is just as easy to make – I do it right in my blender while the squash is roasting. Just add the cream and a drizzle of maple syrup, the pulse several times until whipped. It will hold in the refrigerator for several hours.

If you have any soup leftover, just swirl the leftover whipped cream into it and let it melt. It won’t be quite as fun, but it will be just as delicious.

Here are a few other butternut squash recipes you might enjoy: Vanilla Roasted Butternut Squash and Pecans, Butternut Squash Tartines, and Roasted Butternut and Pomegranate Salad.

This Butternut Squash Bisque recipe first appeared on Food Fanatic, where I’m the soup expert.