Squash has grown in Ontario for centuries — Indigenous peoples cultivated it alongside corn and beans, and the Three Sisters garden was the foundation of agriculture in the region long before European settlers arrived. Butternut squash, with its sweet, nutty flesh, became a fall favourite of Ontario cooks, who found it perfect for soups, roasts, and pies. Come October, farm stands overflow with squash of every shape and colour, and the province’s kitchens fill with the scent of it roasting.
What makes this soup great is how simply it turns a humble winter vegetable into something luxurious — roast the squash until caramelized, simmer it with onion and a tart Ontario apple, and blend it silky smooth with a touch of cream. The nutmeg and cinnamon warm it from within, and the apple adds just enough brightness to keep it interesting. It’s the soup that makes a cold, rainy day feel like a fireside blanket.
