Slimming World Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

This butternut squash and red pepper soup is almost ridiculously easy to make. You only need three main ingredients: a butternut squash, vegetable stock and a jar of roasted red peppers.

That’s it.

The butternut squash gives you a lovely thick, smooth soup while the roasted red peppers add sweetness and loads of flavour without needing a cupboard full of herbs and spices.

It makes four portions and is great for making ahead for lunch. June described it perfectly in her comment when she said it was “so easy to make” but tasted much more complex, while another reader commented on how simple the recipe was to follow. Sometimes the easiest recipes really are the ones you end up making again.

Ingredients for butternut squash and red pepper soup

For four portions you’ll need:

• 1 large butternut squash, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 700ml vegetable stock
• 4 roasted red peppers from a jar, packed in brine rather than oil and drained

You can season the soup to taste once it’s cooked.

How to make butternut squash and red pepper soup

Put the butternut squash and vegetable stock into a large saucepan.

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Chop the drained roasted red peppers into smaller pieces and add them to the cooked butternut squash.

Depending on the blender you’re using, you may prefer to allow the soup to cool before blending it until completely smooth.

Reheat if necessary, season to taste and serve.

It really is that simple.

Why use roasted red peppers from a jar?

The peppers are already roasted, which is one of the reasons this soup needs so little preparation.

Make sure you buy peppers packed in brine rather than oil for this particular recipe and drain them before adding them to the soup.

I often look for them in places such as B&M as well as supermarkets because they can sometimes be considerably cheaper. Prices change all the time, though, so it’s worth comparing them rather than assuming one shop will always be cheapest.

You don’t need to roast another tray of peppers yourself before you can make lunch, which suits me perfectly.

Is this a Slimming World butternut squash and red pepper soup?

This is a very simple soup containing butternut squash, vegetable stock and roasted red peppers in brine, which makes it easy to check if you’re following Slimming World.

I don’t give recipes a fixed Syn value because Slimming World can change its plan and the nutritional information for branded ingredients can change too.

Check the particular vegetable stock and jarred peppers you’re using against the current Slimming World information.

Lots of people find this recipe when searching for a Syn-Free butternut squash and red pepper soup. Rather than assuming an old Syn value you find online is still correct, I’d always check the ingredients you’re actually using against the current plan.

I’ve got lots more ideas together in my Slimming World soup recipes collection.

What’s the difference between this and my plain butternut squash soup?

If you want a very simple butternut squash flavour, try my easy butternut squash soup.

That recipe uses butternut squash with onion, potato, vegetable stock and seasoning.

This one is different. There is no potato or onion; instead, it combines the squash with four roasted red peppers.

The red peppers make a noticeable difference to both the flavour and colour, so they’re two genuinely different soups rather than interchangeable versions of the same recipe.

Preparing the butternut squash

Butternut squash isn’t difficult to cook, but cutting and peeling one can be a bit of a faff.

Use a stable chopping board and a good sharp knife. Cut the squash carefully, remove the seeds and stringy centre and then cut the flesh into chunks.

If preparing a whole squash is the bit that puts you off making soup, ready-prepared squash is another option.

There’s no medal for peeling your own vegetables!

Do I have to peel the butternut squash?

For the smoothest result, I’d peel it.

Although butternut squash skin is edible when properly cooked, leaving it on can affect the final texture of a completely smooth blended soup.

If you’re following this recipe and want the consistency shown, preparing the squash before cooking is the safest bet.

Can I make butternut squash and red pepper soup in a soup maker?

You can adapt this butternut squash and red pepper soup recipe for a soup maker, but don’t simply tip the full recipe into your machine without checking its capacity.

One large butternut squash plus 700ml stock and four roasted peppers can make quite a large volume.

Check your machine’s minimum and maximum fill levels first and reduce the quantities proportionally if necessary.

Because the peppers are already roasted, drain them before adding them.

Follow the programme and ingredient instructions supplied with your particular soup maker, as machines vary.

You can find more ideas in my soup maker recipes collection, along with my guide to the benefits of a soup maker.

Can I use fresh red peppers instead?

This particular recipe has been made using four roasted red peppers from a jar in brine.

Fresh raw peppers haven’t been tested as a straight substitute here, and they won’t give exactly the same flavour as peppers that have already been roasted.

If you want to experiment with fresh peppers, I’d roast them first rather than simply adding four raw peppers and expecting the finished soup to taste identical.

Is this soup spicy?

No chilli is included in the recipe, so this isn’t intended to be a spicy butternut squash soup.

The sweetness of the butternut squash and roasted peppers is really the main flavour.

If you like spicy soup, you could experiment with chilli another time, but I’d try the three-ingredient recipe first. You might find it has plenty of flavour without adding anything else.

Is butternut squash and red pepper soup filling?

It’s a thick blended vegetable soup, but whether it’s enough for lunch on its own is going to depend on you and how hungry you are.

Have bread with it if you fancy bread. Add a sandwich if you need something more substantial.

I’ve spent enough years around weight-loss plans to know how easy it is to get caught up in what a lunch should look like rather than whether it actually keeps you satisfied.

For me, having something that leaves me hungry an hour later isn’t particularly useful.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes. Making four portions of butternut squash and red pepper soup together means you can have lunches ready for another day, rather than making soup from scratch every time you want it.

Allow soup you’re keeping to cool and refrigerate it promptly in a covered container.

Can I freeze butternut squash and red pepper soup?

Yes, this is a handy one for batch cooking because there isn’t any cream or cheese in the recipe.

Divide it into portions before freezing so you only need to defrost what you’re going to use.

The soup may thicken slightly after storing, so if necessary add a small splash of water or vegetable stock when reheating.

Make sure reheated soup is steaming hot throughout before serving.

More easy soup recipes

For a different squash soup, try my easy butternut squash soup, or have a look through all my butternut squash recipes and tips for more ways to use one.

You’ll find plenty more lunches in my healthy soup recipes, including my red pepper and lentil soup if you fancy something with a little more texture and substance.

I’ve also put together my favourite healthy winter soup recipes for those days when soup is pretty much the only lunch I fancy.

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