Copycat Panera Bread’s Autumn Squash Soup (vegan, Paleo and gluten-free)

*Post was updated 10/4/14 to include updated photos.

Madelyn and I had dinner at Panera Bread {her favorite mac ‘n cheese} a couple of weeks ago and I decided to live on the wild side and change up my normal Black Bean Soup order and enjoy the seasonal Autumn Squash Soup. This was a VERY good decision! I still love the Black Bean soup, but no soup can quite compete with the lovely lightly sweetened creaminess that is the Autumn Squash Soup.

Ever since my Panera Bread visit, I was craving the squash soup, plus I had a Costco-sized carton of already chopped organic butternut squash {love that stuff} to use up.  I searched the Panera Bread website to see if they had a recipe for the soup online {sometimes they post recipes}. No such luck! I did come across other people’s copycat squash soup recipes; most of which included butter, heavy cream, whole milk and/or vegetable oil. I decided to take my chances with creating a butternut squash soup that may not taste like Panera’s Autumn Squash soup, but would hopefully at least taste good.

The description of the Vegetarian {mine’s vegan} Autumn Squash Soup on Panera’s website is as follows; a blend of butternut squash and pumpkin, simmered in vegetable broth with honey, apple juice, cinnamon and a hint of curry, then finished with sweet cream and topped with roasted and salted pumpkin seeds. I figured that I could use what I had on hand to closely resemble Panera’s recipe. I included the squash, vegetable broth, cinnamon and curry. I replaced the apple juice with a real apple and the sweet cream with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I didn’t use any pumpkin and I left out the honey because my soup was sweet enough… I think from the apple.

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Copycat Panera Bread’s Autumn Squash Soup (vegan, Paleo and gluten-free)

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

If you love Panera Bread's Autumn Squash Soup as much as I do, you have to give this soup a try!

Author: Kim

Ingredients

• 4 cups of peeled and cubed butternut squash, roasted
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and cubed (I used a Honeycrisp. If you want your soup less sweet, you may want to use a Granny Smith.)
• 1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon curry powder*
• 3.5 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup almond milk, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
• 1 tsp salt + a few extra dashes
• a few dashes of cinnamon

Instructions 

• Roast cubed butternut squash that has been seasoned with cinnamon and salt for 30 mins at 425 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over med-high heat, sauté apple and onion in coconut oil with curry powder and a few dashes of salt for about 10 mins and until softened.
• Add broth, milk, and squash to the large skillet with the apple and onion and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 mins. Stir in salt to taste. I used 1 tsp of salt.
• Use an immersion blender or transfer soup to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until soup is smooth and creamy.
• Enjoy with crusty bread or a grilled cheese!

Notes

*cooking time does not include roasting squash

*I actually used 2 teaspoons of curry and loved the way the soup turned out but I've had several readers comment that the curry was a little too strong. You may want to start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more to desired taste.

Try topping with croutons or roasted pumpkin seeds!

Author: Kim

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Calories: 140kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1451mg, Potassium: 573mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 15352IU, Vitamin C: 33mg, Calcium: 115mg, Iron: 1mg

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I am absolutely thrilled with how flavorful my soup came out and what do you know it was so similar to Panera’s squash soup that now I can’t even recall what Panera’s squash soup even tasted like. 😉 I’ve been eating the soup with grilled cheese and turkey sandwiches and it is my new favorite meal.

Something to think about….

Have you ever tried making a copycat a recipe?

What food have you had at a restaurant, that you would love to recreate at home?

Do you ever eat at Panera Bread? If so, what do you like to eat when you go?

I’ve got so many Fall-inspired recipes to share with you, so join me back here tomorrow for another one! What would you rather see….. no-bake pumpkin cookies or applesauce bread?

Be sure to follow on Instagram for more Fall-inspired recipe ideas!

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