Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon Sugar Croutons

2 from 3 votes

It’s a little sad to admit but I’m a mean mom. Probably one of the meanest. I don’t let my kids have a dog. There you go, it’s out there. I swear everyone we talk to lately is getting a dog and my kids (include Cade on this one) want a dog desperately. And I am just choosing to ignore them while I sit here slurping away on this creamy, lovely butternut squash soup with cinnamon sugar croutons. Yup, I’m the meanest, but hopefully McCormick Gourmet Spices will forgive me since this post isn’t about dogs, it’s about their awesome spices and how to bust out seasonal eating.

And it’s not that I don’t love my kiddos enough to give them something they really want, it’s not even that I hate dogs, in fact I will fully admit that while some are totally cute it’s actually that I’m super allergic to them. I normally don’t tell people that. It always gets a little awkward when people find out. I say I’m allergic and suddenly everyone is worried about me and the dog being in the same room etc. And that’s fine because let’s be honest, I hate the crotch sniffing and licking anyway, but I do feel kinda bad that they have to lock away a family member just for me. Thankfully when we have someone over to entertain we don’t have to worry about that. Instead I try to wow them with something seasonal and delicious.

Kind of like this soup. We’ve talked a few times with McCormick (like, 5 things you should do to your garden in prep for next year, Fried Potatoes and tips for using produce, and of course our basic gardening tips.) about how to be more seasonal in our eating and what’s more seasonal than butternut squash right now? I wanted to show you a recipe that is a good example of using spices that smell good with your seasonal produce to help inspire you and this one is perfect.

There’s something lovely about that Saigon Cinnamon and when you smell it with the squash it literally smells like a chilly fall evening. And then I got a little crazy and added cinnamon sugar croutons because why the heck not? Plus, it’s one more chance to use that lovely cinnamon.

Can Butternut Squash Be Cooked in a Microwave?

Butternut squash can be cooked in a microwave.

Cut in pieces, cover and cook.

Or, you can cook whole butternut squash in the microwave.

Cut several slits into the flesh to allow steam to escape as it cooks.

A medium-sized squash will take about 10 minutes to cook in the microwave.

Is Butternut Squash Good For You?

Butternut squash is a good source of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, and many other nutrients.

A cup of cubed butternut squash provides more potassium than the amount available in a banana.

What Squash Could Substitute for Butternut Squash?

You can use any winter squash, including butternut, buttercup, hubbard, sugar pumpkin, and acorn, interchangeably in recipes.

Butternut squash is smoother textured and less stringy than some of the other winter squash, but you can use any of them.