1. Panera Autumn Squash Soup

Panera’s soups, particularly their autumn squash soup, have a cult following. Our clone features shallots, carrots, butternut squash, and pumpkin for a flavorful, sweet, and authentically fall dish. This soup, topped with spiced pepitas, works well as an appetizer or can be sufficiently full to serve as a main meal.

YIELDS: 6 serving(s)

PREP TIME: 20 mins

TOTAL TIME: 1 hr

CAL/SERV: 315

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 c. apple juice
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• Heavy cream (optional)
• 2 tbsp. cream cheese softened
• 4 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 (2-lb.) butternut squash, peeled, and seeded, and cut into 1″ cubes

FOR THE TOPPING

• Kosher salt
• 1/2 c. pepitas
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a big pot over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper then add the squash, carrots, and shallots. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring periodically, or until starting to soften. Add the curry powder, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Cook for a further two minutes, or until the veggies start to caramelize.
2. Drizzle with water, apple juice, and broth. After bringing to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for ten minutes or until veggies are tender.
3. In the meantime, mix the cream cheese and pumpkin puree in a small bowl until well combined.
4. Transfer the pumpkin mixture into the pot and mix thoroughly.
5. Puree soup with an immersion blender until it’s smooth. When adding the appropriate amount of heavy cream, if using, season with salt and pepper. Top soup with pepitas and serve.

FOR THE TOPPING

1. Turn the oven on to 350°. Toss pepitas with oil, chili powder, and salt on a medium baking sheet.
2. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring the pan halfway through, or until the pepitas are brown and crunchy.
3. Let cool completely.

2. Panera Bread Autumn Squash Soup

At home, warm up with Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup! The flavors of fall—butternut squash, pumpkin, and cozy spices—are brought to your table with this simple replica recipe. This creamy butternut squash soup is ideal for the autumn and winter months. Enjoy this simple soup recipe without fail. I’m sure you’ll adore this imitation.

What makes this copycat Panera soup so good?

There’s nothing better than returning home to a warm bowl of butternut squash soup when the leaves are changing colour and the crisp air is filled with the aroma of the season’s first fires. Autumn is a great time to experiment with different butternut squash soup recipes.

The perfect amount of heat in this creamy soup counteracts the mild sweetness from the apple juice and honey. Savour the soup as an appetiser or a quick meal.

This vegetarian, gluten-free version of Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup is made without flour. When you make it from home, the soup will be free of artificial sweeteners and preservatives.

Why you should try this copycat recipe

Ingredients used in other Panera Butternut Squash Soup knockoffs include cream cheese, shallots, carrots, ginger, and garlic. With this recipe, the flavor of the soup is enhanced by the gradual roasting of the butternut squash and pumpkin puree. This recipe is the ideal autumn soup since it contains a tinge of spice to give it a rich and complex flavor.

Panera Squash Soup Ingredients

• Honey
• Pepitas
• Vegetable oil 
• Curry powder
• Cinnamon
• Apple juice
• Heavy cream
• Butternut squash
• Vegetable stock
• Butternut squash
• White onion, chopped
• Pumpkin puree, canned

If you want to avoid the trouble of peeling and cubing your own butternut squash, many places sell it already peeled and cubed. It’s not too hard to cut fresh squash using a sharp knife.

Pumpkin seeds without their shells are known as pepitas. Pepitas are available in a lot of supermarkets.

Ingredient and recipe notes

For this recipe, I use canned pumpkin and fresh butternut squash.

My go-to pumpkin for soups is canned, as it’s tasty and makes preparing dishes simple and quick.

When roasting butternut squash for soup, try to avoid letting it get overly brown. The soup should not be brown.

Curry powder and cinnamon are two warm spices used in this soup. The perfect amount of heat is added by the curry powder, and everyone’s favourite fall flavour is added by the cinnamon.

The inside part of the seeds, called pumpkin seed kernels, is what you’ll need for this dish. There is a white outer shell on pumpkin seeds. The green meat of the seed is often known as pepitas. To toast them, I prefer in the oven or a pan, as it imparts precisely the proper flavour.

How to Make CopyKat Panera Autumn Squash Soup

To roast the squash for this recipe:

1. Set oven temperature to 350°F.
2. Cut off the butternut squash’s skin with a sharp knife.
3. Cut the squash flesh into 1-inch cubes.
4. Spread the squash slices out on a baking dish after tossing them in vegetable oil.
5. Roast the squash for about 30 minutes, or until it is fork-tender but not browned.

To finish preparing the copycat Panera squash soup recipe:

1. Turn the heat up to medium-high in a large stockpot.
2. Add the diced white onions to the pot along with a splash of vegetable oil.
3. Add a small pinch of salt to the onions and sauté them until they are transparent.
4. Incorporate the roasted butternut squash, pureed pumpkin, vegetable stock, cinnamon, curry powder, apple juice, and honey.
5. After lowering the heat to medium-low, stir the soup until it gets hot.
6. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot. You can use a regular blender in place of an immersion blender, but proceed with caution since churning hot food can result in a mess.
7. Add the heavy cream to the soup and stir.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F or toast the pepitas in a skillet over medium heat.
9. Spoon the heated soup into individual bowls, top with pepitas and a dollop of heavy cream, and serve hot.

Recipe variations 

Adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes and make this recipe uniquely yours. Consider attempting the following recommendations:

• For extra flavor, use chicken broth or stock instead of vegetable stock.
• As a garnish, use croutons and a swirl of sour cream rather than pepitas.
• For a dairy-free and vegan variation, use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream.

Panera Autumn Squash Soup