This post may contain affiliate links.
Who’s ready to get ‘festive’ with a bowl of squash soup?!
For us, one of the signs the holiday season has arrived is a pot of soup boiling away on our RV cooktop. It cozies up a winter evening hanging out in the RV– making winter RVing feel extra special. And merry and bright!
Here’s a video of us making “Festive Squash Soup”, a family favorite:
There are so many versions of squash soup recipes out there, but what I love about this one is its simplicity. With very few ingredients, it allows the flavor of the squash to shine, without all sorts of other random spices and unnecessary ingredients competing.
And while the soup itself is delightfully tasty, the real wow factor comes from the toppings you’ll sprinkle on, and how they pair so wonderfully with the soup. The toppings are what make this soup shine, so don’t neglect this part! They make the finished product look so impressive, like something you’d be presented from a fancy shmancy restaurant. You’ll knock the socks off your guests!
Hope you enjoy the soup (recipe below). Happy Holidays, everyone!
❤️Stef and James (and Mel!)

Festive Squash Soup
This comforting soup is a perfect addition to any winter or holiday meal, or as a stand-alone meal itself! And while the soup itself is delightfully tasty, once it's loaded up with toppings, it'll not only be extra tasty, it will look fun and festive!
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 small to medium russet potato
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- MAYBE: 3/4 cup water or broth (if it comes out too thick). Heavy cream works great, too.
TOPPINGS SUGGESTIONS (all are optional!):
- fresh green jalapenos, diced finely AND sliced in circles
- fresh red jalapenos, diced finely and sliced in circles
- Mexican crema (making your own is super easy, see my note!)
- fresh cilantro
- roasted pumpkin or squash seeds (see my note!)
- pinon nuts
- crostini (if you're in Utah, get the Harmon's bakery ones!)
- cotija cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut off the squash stem. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and pulp with a spoon. Rub oil on the squash cut side, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place 1) the two squash halves cut side down and 2) the potato (washed and forked). Roast around 1 hour, or until the squash is tender.
Remove pan from oven, and let stand around 10 minutes or until they’re cool enough to handle. Scrape squash flesh from skin with a spoon, and transfer to a medium bowl. Do the same with the potato. Discard both squash and potato skin.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium. Add onion slices. Cook about 4 minutes, until onions are tender and translucent.
Add coriander, cumin, squash, potato, and vegetable broth to pot. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced and has thickened slightly, about 20-30 minutes.
Remove pot from heat, and puree either with an immersion blender or a traditional blender. To use a traditional blender, very carefully puree small batches of the mixture at a time. Remove the center piece of your lid to allow steam to escape, or place a clean towel over the top, but do NOT enclose the hot liquid with a tight lid. Be very careful, and begin blending on lowest setting. Blend until until smooth, and then transfer back to a pot.
Check to see if you like the consistency, and if it’s too thick, you can add either water or more broth (or heavy cream). If you do thin it, check the taste to determine if it needs any more coriander, cumin, salt, or pepper to balance it out. If necessary, warm it on low until it’s at a good serving temperature.
TO SERVE:
Drizzle Mexican crema over the top (see Note 2), and then add your choice of optional toppings. Make it more “festive” by creating a plate of optional toppings, and allow guests to add their own.
NOTE 1: OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL STEP:
You can use the squash seeds as a soup topping! Toss them with a tablespoon of oil, teaspoon of chili powder and ½ teaspoon of salt, spread them on parchment paper lined pan, and roast at 300 degrees for around 15 minutes (or until they begin popping).
NOTE 2: MAKING YOUR OWN MEXICAN CREMA:
It’s so easy! Mix one cup of heavy cream with a tablespoon of plain yogurt in a jar, seal it, and let it rest at room temperature for 24-48 hours or so (don’t put it by a cold window!). After it’s set, add a teaspoon or two of lime juice and salt to taste (1/8 teaspoon or so). Pop in the fridge and it’ll continue to thicken. Keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge. Works great anywhere you’d normally use sour cream!
Did you make a video on your new countertop and induction cooktop? I can’t find it on your channel, but I must admit that I didn’t watch all th 20K project videos.
It looks great!!!
We haven’t made a video on that bit yet.
We do have the footage, just haven’t edited it.
Looks awesome except for the cheese. I will make this for sure! Your pictures look warm and cozy for sure! Merry Christmas!
Yep, cheese is an option, but we don’t bother adding it either. Merry Christmas back at you, Anne, and here’s to a healthy and happy New Year!
How do you make this in an RV? I can’t remember, does the EKKO have a convection oven?
I shared that in the vid; I roasted the squash ahead (no convection oven in EKKO). Roasted squash can keep in the fridge for around 5 days before being added to soup; and makes dinnertime in the RV much easier, too!
Thanks for a great sounding recipe. Plan to make it this week. Sounds yummy.
– Ruth
Fantastic! Hope you’ll come back and let us know what you think. And what you use for toppings! 🙂