The Best Squash Soup Recipe

Made with yellow squash from the garden, this Best Squash Soup Recipe is semi-homemade soup that includes some “cream of this” and “cream of that” soups and lots of Velveeta cheese. It has a chowder-like quality that is jam packed with flavor and a super creamy texture. As the weather cools down and Fall is upon us, this soup will keep you warm and going back for more. You’re going to love it!

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of squash soup recipes but I’ve never felt inclined to make them. Almost all of them were made with butternut squash and as someone who’s not a big squash fan, that did not appeal to me. I found the recipes someone bland and they were all very similiar.

But then our pastor made Squash Soup for a church event a few years ago and my mind was forever changed. This is the Best Squash Soup Recipe I’ve ever had. So this is not my recipe, but his. Or theirs. I’m pretty sure Bro. James and Mrs. Jeanne Pearl work on it together to make it perfection 🙂  And it’s not his exact recipe (I’ll never get it exactly perfect like they make it) – keep reading and you’ll see why!

The Best Squash Soup Recipe

It’s nothing like any other squash soup recipe I’ve ever seen. First, it’s made with yellow squash. Not butternut squash. I’m not sure about the rest of the US, but here in the south, almost everybody that grows a summer garden, grows yellow squash.

Second, it’s not just squash. It’s an easy, semi-homemade soup that includes some cream of this and cream of that soups and lots of Velveeta cheese. Can you really go wrong with Velveeta cheese? It has a chowder-like quality that is jam packed with flavor and a super creamy texture.

Here in the south in rural Misssissippi, yellow squash was a staple in our meals – especially in summer. Mostly it was fried squash, sauteed squash, or boiled squash. All of which, I hated. Haha! My Daddy joked that I was adopted, because no child of his would detest as many garden vegetables as I did.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tolerated squash a little more often. I’m still not really a fan of the fried, boiled or sauteed versions, but I’ve fallen in love with a Squash Dressing recipe that my sister makes and this Squash Soup is easily one of my top favorite soups of all time.

Where this recipe came from

I really hadn’t planned to share this recipe, but then last week I did desserts for a charity even where our pastor donated a huge pot of his Squash Soup for the lunch. When a dozen or more women asked me for the recipe (I was helping to serve) and then my sister-in-law said everybody was asking her for the recipe, I decided to post it.

But there was a problem. Bro. James’ recipe was a little vague. He had the recipe published in our church cookbook but some of the ingredients had no measurements. When I asked him further about it, he and Mrs. Jeanne Pearl said they just add this and add that and taste and keep adding until it tastes right.

Well, that’s not something I can publish. Ha! So over the past couple of weeks I’ve made the recipe and tasted. Then I made the recipe and tasted some more and finally, I think I’ve gotten pretty close to his amazing soup.

So let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds of yellow squash, cubed (Bro James said he has used frozen or canned when fresh was not available, but the soup is best with fresh squash)
• 1 large onion, finely diced (not pictured)
• 4 cups water
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can of cream of mushroom soup, with roasted garlic
• 2 (10.5 oz) cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 tsp. Better than Bouillon, chicken flavored (or 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
• 1 1/2 pounds Mexican Velveeta, cubed
• 3 cups of half-and-half
• 2 tsp. Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning (Original)
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper, to taste
• Serve with shredded cheddar, saltine crackers, and/or cornbread (optional)

How to Make Cheesy Squash Soup

I didn’t do step-by-step photos for the entire recipe, but I do have a few for you. You’re going to start by adding the cut up squash and onions to a large pot and just covering with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Note: In Bro James original recipe, he listed 10-12 squash. Since squash vary in size, I decided to go with a weight measurement. I used around 4 pounds of squash (11 squash) the first time I made this soup. This last time I remembered to weigh again and it was closer to 3 pounds (8 squash). I think any amount in that ballpark will work well.

The water will cook down a a lot and I do not drain it afterwards. However, if you want a thicker soup, you may drain off some of the water.

Then you’ll want to mash up the squash. You can make it as creamy (smooth) as you want, or leave some chunks of squash if you like a little more texture. Bro. James uses a potato masher to mash up his squash – I used my stick blender.

Leave a few chunks of squash if you want some great texture. I prefer this over completely pulverizing it all.

From there, you’ll add all remaining ingredients. The half and half, Velveeta, cream soups, and seasonings. I didn’t take pictures from there on out, but after adding everything else, it’s just a matter of stirring until the cheese melts and letting it get hot.

Of course, the longer it cooks, the better it gets as all of the flavors really develop and it melds together. You just have to be careful – it scorches to the bottom easily (ask me how I know!) so you need to stir it regularly. And if you choose to simmer it for awhile, either transfer it to a slow cooker or have the heat under it really, really low.

Alrighty – I have the printable recipe down below for you! Please leave me a comment or ask questions if you have any. This is a very forgiving recipe, so you can adjust the seasonings, liquid content and even the amount of squash to your taste!

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