• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Keeping It Simple Blog

  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    You are here Home » Recipes » food

    By: Melissa

    Carrot and Acorn Squash Soup with Carrot Top Pistou

    Carrot and acorn squash soup with carrot top pistou is a delicious and easy soup that uses the carrot tops to make the most delicious garlicky topping! This pistou is a pesto made from carrot greens and is so delicious. This roasted acorn squash soup makes a great soup for Fall, Thanksgiving or whenever the mood strikes.

    Jump to Recipe
    Total Time: 40 minutes

    About this recipe

    For this roasted carrot and squash soup I have used acorn squash because it is delicate in flavor and not too sweet. This is one of our favorite acorn squash recipes and such a great way to use this squash when it is in season.

    Although I prefer acorn squash to all others, you can certainly substitute butternut squash if that is what you have on hand. Another thing I love about this soup is it uses up carrots that we always have lots of in our fridge in the Fall.

    I love making this soup and lots of carrot cake to use up our supply of carrots. To me this soup is a complete win in the Fall because it tastes so delicious and it makes use of veggies I have in the house.

    The difference between butternut squash and acorn squash in this soup:

    I am not a big fan of sweet squash so I decided to try a soup made with acorn squash which is only mildly sweet. Most people use butternut squash for their squash soup.

    I prefer mixing the mild acorn squash with carrots for a more balanced flavor. The carrot adds a nice depth of flavor and sweetness and the acorn squash lends that creamy squash texture and flavor.

    As I mentioned earlier, you can substitute butternut squash or any other creamy squash to replace the acorn squash in this recipe.

    It will taste amazing either way.

    About the carrot top pistou that tops this soup

    If you are not familiar with pistou, it is like a French pesto. It comes from the Provence region and is usually made with basil, garlic and olive oil and it's used to top soups.

    This recipe forgoes the basil and uses the green tops of the carrots instead. It is essentially a carrot green pesto. It is amazing!

    carrot green pesto (pistou)
    This is a carrot green pesto (the pistou).

    This roasted carrot and acorn squash soup goes so well as a main dish or as a side for Thanksgiving or larger gatherings. It is really easy to make and really big on flavor.

    How to make this easy carrot and acorn squash soup

    First you are going to add all of your veggies to a large sheet pan.

    You are going to roast the vegetables in the oven. Add just a little bit of olive oil to them before roasting. This will bring out a beautiful deep flavor in your squash and carrots and make the soup taste amazing.

    You will remove the skins from the acorn squash after it is done roasting.

    Now you add the fully roasted vegetables into a large pot

    In this step you are going to mash down your vegetables. You don't have to mash too much since they will be going into the blender later.

    Add your stock and mix that into your mashed veggies.

    You will add your chicken stock to your mashed up veggies and mix it well. Once you do this you will start to bring it over to your blender to puree it into a soup. This can be done in batches. You always want to make sure to only fill your blender half way with hot liquids so it doesn't pop out of the container during blending.

    Add the pureed carrot and squash soup back into your large pot on the stove and then add your heavy cream.

    This is where it all starts to come together. After you are done pureeing your soup in the blender you add it back to your pot and mix in the heavy cream. The soup will become thick and silky.

    Cream-being-added-to-acorn squash soup

    Once the cream is well incorporated then you begin warming the soup over a low heat

    Now that you have a creamy a delicious soup, the last steps are making sure it is nice and warm all the way through and tasting for seasoning. This is a great time to add any salt or pepper that it may need (to taste).

    You would be surprised how much cream takes away from the saltiness of soup.

    squash and carrot soup image

    That is it. It is very easy. To serve the squash and carrot soup, just ladel some soup into a bowl and top with a dollop of your pistou. The pistou is so good!

    Helpful tips and ideas when making this roasted acorn squash soup:

    What can I serve with this acorn squash soup?

    In our house all soups are served with a good crusty bread and this one is no exception. I like making my oregano crostini to serve alongside this soup for dipping.

    Do I need to roast the squash when making this soup?

    Yes. This roasting the acorn squash and carrots is where all the flavor comes from with the vegetables. The roasting brings out the sweetness from the vegetables and helps soften them up for pureeing.

    If I am serving this as a side dish, what meat goes well with this squash soup?

    I always make this as a main dish but at larger gatherings I will make this as a side. I like to serve this squash soup with poultry (turkey, chicken..).

    Can I freeze the leftover soup?

    Yes. This soup freezes beautifully. Just let it cool completely and place it in a freezer proof container or bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.

    To thaw, place the frozen soup in the fridge overnight to gently defrost.

    To re-heat, place your soup into a large pot and heat on low until fully warmed through.

    Highlights of this easy carrot and acorn squash soup:

    • The carrots and squash are roasted until caramelized adding a great lightly sweet and nutty flavor
    • There is little food waste since we are using the carrot tops to make the pistou
    • The garlic and Parmesan from the pistou compliments the sweetness of the soup adding depth of flavor

    This is so easy to make and not a boring fall squash soup at all!

    If you want more soup inspiration for the cooler weather you might like:

    • Kale and farro minestrone
    • Indian garlic soup
    • Pasta fagioli
    • Vegetable Soup with Cabbage
    • Coconut Curry Ramen Soup
    • Sausage and Tortellini Soup
    Carrot and acorn squash soup
    Print Recipe
    5 from 5 votes

    Carrot and Acorn Squash Soup with Carrot Top Pistou

    A delicious and creamy Fall soup with an amazing carrot top pistou
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Servings: 6 people

    Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

    Author: Melissa

    Equipment

    • High powered blender for pureeing the soup

    Ingredients

    • 2 acorn squash cleaned, cut in half and seeds removed
    • 8 medium fresh carrots cleaned and peeled and green tops reserved
    • 32 ounces chicken stock good quality
    • 2 cloves of garlic minced
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1 bay leaf
    • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 shallot diced
    • 3 tablespoon good quality olive oil plus a little more for drizzling on vegetables
    • 1 teaspoon salt and pepper plus more to taste

    Carrot Top Pistou (carrot top pesto)

    • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • ⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 whole bunch of carrot top greens rinsed and coarse chopped
    • 1 clove of garlic course chopped
    Follow Keeping It Simple Blog On Pinterest

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees
    • Add your cut and cleaned carrots (not the green tops) and cut and halved acorn squash to a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
      8 medium fresh carrots, 2 acorn squash
    • Roast your vegetables for about 20-25 minutes or until they start to brown a little and are soft all the way though
    • Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for a minute before handling
    • In the meantime, heat a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat and add ½ of your olive oil
      3 tablespoon good quality olive oil
    • Now add your diced shallots and 1 clove of your minced garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes
      1 shallot diced, 2 cloves of garlic minced
    • Now add your chicken stock, thyme and bay leaf
      32 ounces chicken stock, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf
    • Now you are going to get the roasted vegetables ready to add to the pot by scooping the flesh of the acorn squash away from the skin. You may be able to just peel the skin of the squash right off.
    • Once this is done, you can add your whole carrots and the flesh of the squash right into your soup.
    • You can mash it down a bit with the back of your spoon. Don't worry about smoothness here since we will be pureeing it all in a blender.
    • Now add your salt, pepper and your cream
      1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
    • Mix it well and let it come to a light simmer
    • Once it has simmered for a few minutes, remove your bay leaf and discard.
    • Bring your pot over to the blender (If you have an immersion blender, you can just puree your soup right in the pot and skip the blender steps)
    • Add your soup to the blender making sure to only fill it ¾ of the way to the top as hot soup will expand in the blender
    • Place the top on your blender tightly and cover with a towel. Puree your soup on high for 2 minutes or until smooth
    • You may need to do this in batches to make sure you do not over fill your blender
    • Once your soup is all blended and smooth, add it back to your pot. Taste for any seasoning (add salt and pepper to taste) then place over low heat with a lid on top.

    Carrot top pistou (carrot top pesto)

    • Take the green tops from your carrots and finely chop them
    • Add this to a food processor along with the remaining ⅛ cup of olive oil, 1 clove of minced garlic and your Parmesan cheese and blitz until it is smooth.
      ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 whole bunch of carrot top greens, 1 clove of garlic, ⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Add your pistou to a small bowl

    Assemble

    • Ladle your soup into bowls and top with a dollop of the pistou
    • Enjoy!

    Notes

    For making a more traditional Italian pesto with the carrot top greens:
    You can add ½ cup of nuts (almonds or walnuts) and 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pesto recipe and mix in the food processor until somewhat smooth.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1462mg | Potassium: 693mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1155IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg

    Nutrition Values are estimates only.

    See full nutrition disclaimer here
    Course :Soup

    More food

    • Mediterranean yellowfin tuna
      Mediterranean Grilled Tuna Steak
    • gin and lime gimlet
      Classic Gin Gimlet
    • elderflower gimlet
      French Gimlet
    • tuna ceviche
      Ahi Tuna Ceviche

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Anna says

      November 03, 2022 at 4:34 pm

      5 stars
      I love acorn squash too and this soup was the perfect way to use it! The carrot pesto was delicious with it.

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        November 03, 2022 at 4:42 pm

        I am glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    2. Jan says

      October 13, 2022 at 11:56 pm

      5 stars
      The soup was amazing! The topping really makes it. Such a great contrast to the creamy soup

      Reply
    3. Aliana says

      November 15, 2019 at 4:29 pm

      5 stars
      Looks amazing!

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Sausage and Tortellini Soup • Keeping It Simple Blog says:
      January 5, 2021 at 6:22 pm

      […] Carrot and Acorn Squash Soup […]

      Reply
    2. Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes • Keeping It Simple Blog says:
      November 20, 2020 at 3:37 pm

      […] Carrot and AcornCarrot and Acorn Squash Soup with Carrot Top Pistou Squash Soup […]

      Reply
    3. Roasted Acorn Squash • Keeping It Simple Blog says:
      November 10, 2020 at 8:50 pm

      […] Roasted Acorn Squash and Carrot Soup […]

      Reply
    4. Pumpkin Cake (or Bread!) • Keeping It Simple Blog says:
      October 31, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      […] Carrot and Acorn Squash Soup […]

      Reply
    5. Boursin Cheese Smashed Red Potatoes - de socio in the kitchen says:
      February 22, 2020 at 5:45 pm

      […] […]

      Reply
    6. Friday Finds 11.15.19 – My Recipe says:
      November 15, 2019 at 4:16 pm

      […] Carrot and Acorn Squash Soup     Keeping It Simple […]

      Reply
    7. Glazed Sweet Potato Fries - Chew On This says:
      November 15, 2019 at 12:46 am

      […] Carrot and Acorn Squash Soup from Keeping it Simple […]

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Keeping It Simple Blog!

    keeping it simple blog portrait

    I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website a few years ago to share recipes that I have been cooking for family and friends for years.

    More about me →

    Our Favorite Spring Recipes

    • Mexican barbacoa
      Mexican Barbacoa
      Cook Time3 Hours 20 Minutes
    • truffle cream sauce angle
      Pasta with Broccoli and Truffle Cream Sauce
      Cook Time30 Minutes
    • cooked salmon angle shot
      Sheet Pan Salmon and Vegetables
      Cook Time30 Minutes
    • kale and carrot salad in bowl
      Kale, Carrot and Parmesan Salad
      Cook Time25 Minutes
    • asparagus with parmesan melted on top
      Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
      Cook Time20 Minutes
    • minestrone
      Italian Minestrone - Italian Vegetable Soup
      Cook Time35 Minutes
    • Italian Peas with garlic and parsley
      Italian Peas with Garlic and Parsley
      Cook Time15 Minutes
    • broken noodles closeup
      Broken Noodles with Sausage, Kale and Mushrooms
      Cook Time35 Minutes

    More recipes →

    Featured In:

    logos of publications that Keeping It Simple Blog has been featured in

    Footer

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Featured In

    logos of publications that Keeping It Simple Blog has been featured in

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Privacy Policy

    Accessibility

    Newsletter

    Contact

    Copyright © KeepingItSimpleBlog