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Butternut Squash White Bean Soup with Couscous Topping | Magnolia Days

Butternut Squash White Bean Soup

Butternut Squash-White Bean Soup is made with cannellini and navy beans. It is topped with Israeli (pearl) couscous mixed with apricots and pepitas.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Renee

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion Vidalia recommended, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste or fresh grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 small butternut squash; peeled about 1/2-inch cubes, seeded, and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 cups vegetable broth plus more or water if needed
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme tied together tightly with twine
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1 can navy beans 15 ounces, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can cannellini beans 15 ounces, rinsed and drained

For the couscous topping:

  • 3/4 cup uncooked Israeli couscous pearl
  • 6 dried apricots finely chopped
  • 1 green onion white and light green part only, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup pepitas pumpkin seed kernels
  • 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley chopped
  • Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

For the soup:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add butternut squash, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper. Make sure there is enough broth to cover the squash. Add more broth or water if needed. Stir to combine.
  4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer until squash is tender, about 30 minutes.
  5. Remove and discard thyme stems (the leaves should fall off during the cooking process).
  6. Place 1/4 of both beans in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add both beans and mashed beans to the pot and stir to combine.
  7. Cook until beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.
  8. Ladle soup into bowls and top with a heaping tablespoon or two of couscous mixture.

For the couscous topping:

  1. While the soup is simmering, prepare couscous according to package instructions.
  2. Stir in apricots, green onion, pepitas, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Recipe Notes

Butternut Squash-White Bean Soup is made with cannellini and navy beans. It is topped with Israeli (pearl) couscous mixed with apricots and pepitas.