This Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup has all the deliciously comforting flavors of fall. Perfect as the start to a Thanksgiving feast, or as a meal all on its own.
The perfect Whole30 soup recipe
It’s the harvest season, which means fresh squash is everywhere. I love butternut squash because it’s slightly sweet, develops a really nice flavor after roasting, and it goes so well with sausage and sage.
I decided to bring all three elements together in this soup: the base is of course roasted butternut squash puree. It’s blended with chicken stock and warming spices, sage, onion, and garlic, sautéed in butter, then a swirl of half and half for added creaminess. To make this soup Whole30 compliant, simply substitute full fat coconut milk for the heavy cream. I added crispy sage, roasted pepitas, and sour cream (also omit for whole30) as a garnish for a visually stunning, absolutely delicious, silky, savory fall soup recipe. This is a fast favorite that the whole family will love.
How to cut butternut squash
The secret to cutting butternut squash is to peel it first. Peeling butternut squash makes it easier to cut, and it’s a lot safer this way. I used a small veggie peeler to remove the skin, then very carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise with a knife. Scrape out the seeds and then cube it. When cubing the squash, try to make the cubes the same size so that they all roast evenly.
How to fry sage
Fried sage adds a great pop of flavor and a little bit of crispiness, making it perfect for this recipe. Plus, it’s super easy and takes seconds to whip up.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Throw in a few sage leaves for just 2 to 3 seconds, then remove the leaves from the pan to finish crisping.
You can add fried sage as a garnish to lots of other fall dishes for a savory pop of flavor. Try adding fried sage to my Cranberry Pecan Low Carb Stuffing, Herbed Butter Roasted Turkey, as a garnish to an Epic Keto Charcuterie Board, or anywhere you want a bright piney, citrusy, aroma.
How to make this recipe dairy free
It’s really easy to make this low carb soup recipe dairy-free. Here are some simple swaps and substitutions to help make this soup dairy free and Whole30 compliant
- Omit the sour cream as a garnish, or replace with coconut cream
- Use olive oil or butter flavored coconut oil in place of butter
- Swap in coconut milk for the half and half or heavy cream
If you’re worried about the coconut overwhelming the flavors in this butternut squash soup, don’t sweat it. I’m not crazy about coconut, but these swaps really compliment the other ingredients in this recipe. Whether you make this Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup as it comes or as a dairy free keto soup, it’s absolutely delicious.
How many carbs are in butternut squash?
Butternut squash has 13.57g net carbs per 1 cup. When you divide the 70g net carbs of squash in this recipe into 12 servings, each serving has under 6g net carbs coming from squash. While butternut squash on its own is a bit higher in carbs, each serving of this recipe has 7.4g net carbs, 9.2g protein, and 22.4g fat (without the garnishes), making this a very keto friendly soup. More importantly, butternut squash is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, potassium, magnesium, manganese, carotenoids, and antioxidants.
More low carb soup recipes:
- Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
- Keto Wonton-less Soup
- Paleo Keto Cabbage Roll Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Keto Beef Stroganoff Soup
- Slow Cooker Low Carb Clam Chowder with Bacon
- Keto Smoked Sausage Cheddar Beer Soup
- Italian Meatball Zoodle Soup
- Creamy Reuben Soup
- Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
Keto Cookbooks and Meal Plans
- Home for the Holidays - 25 Classic Holiday Recipes Made Low Carb
- Craveable Keto Cookbook
- Dairy Free Keto Cooking
- Keto Happy Hour
- 30 Minute Ketogenic Cooking
- Primal Low Carb Kitchen
- Keto Desserts
- Low Carb Slow Cooker Soups and Stews
- Keto Condiments Dressings and Sauces
- 14 Weeks of Low Carb and Gluten Free Meal Plans
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash (about 4 pounds), peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil (I use this brand) code peaceloveandlowcarb for 15% off
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons rubbed sage (I use this brand of spices)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (this is the only brand of salt I use) code peace for 15% off
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock, divided
- 1 pound ground sausage (this is where I get my favorite sausage)
- 1 cup heavy cream (sub full fat coconut milk for dairy free or Whole30)
- sour cream, optional garnish (sub unsweetened almond milk yogurt for dairy free or Whole30)
- fried sage leaves, optional garnish
- roasted pepitas, optional garnish.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Spread the cubed squash in a single layer across a rimmed baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- While the squash is roasting, heat the butter in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, garlic, sage, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cayenne. Cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic and spices are fragrant.
- Deglaze pan with ½ cup of the chicken stock, scraping up and mixing in any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Transfer the onion mixture, with the liquid to a high-powered blender. When the squash is finished roasted, add the squash and the remaining chicken stock to the blender with the onions and puree until smooth.
- Increase the heat in the pan to medium-high and cook the sausage. Once it is browned, drain the excess grease. Pour the pureed squash back into the pan with the sausage.
- Mix in the half and half, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Cook on medium for 10 minutes, stirring frequently,
- Then reduce heat to low and let simmer 30 minutes.
- Top with sour cream, fried sage, and pepitas before serving, if using.
Notes
net carbs per serving: 7.4g
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: soups
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 272
- Fat: 22.4g
- Carbohydrates: 8.8g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 9.2g
Keywords: butternut squash soup, soup recipes, comfort food recipes, real food soup recipes, Keto recipes, gluten free soup recipes, fall recipes
Hannah says
Love this recipe! I use coconut milk, and it always turns out great. It freezes so well too!
★★★★★
Kyndra Holley says
So happy you enjoy it. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment and review it. It's so helpful and I really appreciate it.
Rose MacKay says
This is the perfect autumn comfort soup. The sausage and the butternut squash marry together so well with the warm spice blend. This will be in my soup rotation. Thank you Kyndra.
★★★★★
Kirstin says
I made it without the sausage. Super yummy!
★★★★★
sharon gifford says
This soup is so good - just wondering about the thickness of it. what would you suggest to thin it up? Broth, cream?
★★★★★
Courtney says
I love this recipe. I've made it at least 15 times over the past year.
Thanks
★★★★★
Leah says
My husband and I love this recipe and make it almost every week now. Its so warm and comforty and perfect for cold evenings.
★★★★★
Leah says
This recipe is part of our rotation now, my husband and I love it!
Amanda Hooker says
Would you recommend a specific kind of sausage (Italian, sage, breakfast, etc) ?
Kyndra Holley says
honestly, you could use any of them. I like to use Italian sausage or even a spicy italian sausage
Missy says
Sounds yummy! Going to make this weekend. Thank you
Regina says
Could kabocha squash be substituted for the butternut to reduce carbs? Ive never tried it but this recipe sounds amazing!