Imagine this: it’s raining hard outside, and the weather is perfect for lounging on your couch.
However, you have kids and a significant other to feed. Also, you’re craving something warm, and comforting.
What can dish can you make that would satisfy your craving but won’t take too much preparation time?
Here’s your best option: butternut squash!
It’s creamy, and flavorful, but most of all, it’s warm and comforting—just perfect for the weather!
So you already got the perfect main dish, but what other dishes would go well with it?
What to serve with butternut squash soup? Read on to find out your best options!
What to Serve with Butternut Squash Soup? The Best Sides Revealed!
Lucky for you, soup is the easiest dish to pair with. We have plenty of butternut squash soups for you to choose from. Here they are:
1. Breads
The combination of bread and soup is timeless, so you’ll surely never go wrong with it. However, serving white bread with soup (especially something as special as butternut squash) can get boring. To level up your bread and soup combination, here are some of the best bread options that you can try:
2. French Baguette
Since they’re soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside, crusty breads will lend your soup the crisp texture it needs.
Pro Tip: We love serving baguettes torn and shared, so the size is perfect for dipping!
3. Naan
Try naan if you’re looking for a unique bread to serve with your soup. Naan is an Indian flatbread made for dipping, so it’s the best bread to serve with butternut squash soup. (*)
Warning: Even though this bread doesn’t contain eggs, it’s still not suitable for vegans since some recipes call for yogurt.
4. Sandwiches
Here’s another way to upgrade your soup and bread combo: make it a sandwich and soup combination! Sandwiches are more filling and add more depth, texture, and flavor to your meal.
Our best recommendation would be a grilled cheese sandwich.
Have you ever tried cheese and butternut squash together? You definitely should! The cheese makes the butternut squash soup extra creamy, while the sandwich delivers the crunch you never knew you needed.
Pro Tip: Instead of settling with the classic grilled cheese sandwich, try these fantastic variations—Monte Cristo sandwich, apple bacon grilled cheese sandwich, pear, and brie cheese sandwich.
5. Rice Pilaf
If you’re getting tired of serving soups with bread, try serving it with rice. We like this option because it has more texture and is considered easier to digest than bread. (*)
Instead of serving plain white rice, we prefer preparing rice pilaf as it adds more flavor to the entire meal.
Pro Tip: Make your pilaf more nutritious by adding mushrooms, other types of vegetables, and protein of your choice.
6. Salads
If your goal is simply to add depth to the soup (but not calories), use salads. The best thing about salads is they are quite versatile, and they give you the option to experiment with different types of toppings and dressings.
If we want a classic salad, we usually go for a honey mustard green salad containing lettuce, spinach, red onions, and bell pepper, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder drizzled with honey mustard and balsamic vinegar.
We love preparing roasted beet arugula salad with feta cheese for something tasty and unique. All you need are beetroot, arugula leaves, crumbled feta, and bell peppers to prepare this. The dressing comprises olive oil, salt, red wine vinegar, and pepper.
7. Sausages
We also find one thing missing in butternut squash soup—meat! Because of this, we love pairing it with a protein-rich side. Our go-to would be sausages because they’re quite versatile and easy to prepare.
The best types of sausage for butternut squash soup would be chicken and Italian sausages.
8. Chicken
Another versatile protein source would be chicken. When we have enough time to prepare two meals, we usually go for roasted chicken.
The good news is there are lots of ways you can incorporate chicken into your meal. For example, you can shred it and use as salad toppings or turn it into a chicken spread for your sandwiches. But, then, the sky is the limit!
9. Honey Baked Apples
Butternut squash soup is creamy and tasty, but it sure lacks one thing—sweetness. That’s what honey baked apples are for.
The good news is it’s also relatively easy to make. First, you need to prepare the sauce by mixing salt, honey, butter, and sugar, drizzle it over your carrot and apple slices, and bake!
Pro Tip: You can also add a dash of cinnamon for an earthy flavor.
Toppings
Go for toppings if you simply want to take your soup to a whole new level but don’t have the time to whip up another dish. Check out our recommendations below:
1. Crunchy Toppings
Whether you admit it or nut (pun intended), you need crunch in your soup. Lucky for you, there are many crunchy toppings that you can use. These include crackers, nuts (pecan is our favorite), pumpkin seeds, croutons, pears, apples, etc.
2. Bacon
Bacon lovers, here’s something that you’ll love! Crumbled bacon is one of our favorites because it has all the things the soup doesn’t have—smokiness, crispiness, and meatiness.
3. Creamy Toppings
Do you want to make your butternut squash soup even creamier? You have plenty of toppings to choose from—cheeses (try bleu cheese for a unique twist), heavy cream, and sour cream.
Pro Tip: If you want a low-calorie option, try using coconut cream.
The Bottom Line
Butternut squash soup is a classic. While this soup is already filling itself, it needs a match to make your meal well-rounded.
So what to serve with butternut squash soup? We have a long list of tried-and-tested sides—sandwiches, breads, salads, and proteins—to choose from. We hope that you can find the best sides for your needs in this list. Let us know if you do.
