Instant Pot Butternut Squash Bell Pepper Soup Recipe

Overhead view of a small white bowl with a single serving of Instant Pot Butternut Squash Red Pepper Soup garnished with swirls of sour cream, chopped green onions, and chopped red bell peppers.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Bell Pepper Soup Recipe

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Bell Pepper Soup with ginger and carrots is thick and creamy and made even easier by making it in the Instant Pot.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Bell Pepper Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, Instant Pot Bell Pepper Soup, Instant Pot Butternut Squash Bell Pepper Soup, Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, Instant Pot Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Pressurization Time 25

Total Time 52

Servings

Calories 114kcal

Author Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Equipment

6-Quart Instant Pot Duo60 from Amazon.com (affiliate link)

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic)
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 medium butternut squash (About 2.2 pounds peeled and cubed. You can also use two small to medium)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large Bell pepper, diced (or 3 small ones)
4 tablespoons heavy cream (Or Coconut Milk, creme fraiche, Mexican Crema)
1 Tablespoon fresh Cilantro, minced

Instructions

Turn on sauté mode on your Instant Pot and add the olive oil. When the pot is hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
Pour in broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any bits of food that might stick to the bottom.
Then add squash, and carrots. Close lid, seal and set pressure to High for 10 minutes. Keep in mind that it will take approximately 10-15 minutes to reach pressure before the Instant Pot will begin counting down.
When the timer is complete, allow the steam to naturally release for 5 minutes then release remaining pressure.
Unplug and turn off the Instant pot and carefully open the lid. Pour in the heavy cream.
Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend the squash soup until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
On the side, in a pan on high heat, put an extra teaspoon of olive oil. Sauté the bell peppers until cooked.
Place a tablespoon or two of the cooked bell peppers, depending on your taste, in each bowl. Add the soup and garnish with bit of chopped cilantro and a few extra bell peppers.
Optional: You can also serve with a drizzle of heavy cream, creme fraiche, Mexican crema, or sour cream.

Video

Notes

For Bell peppers consider an extra teaspoon of olive oil.

For garnish: Green onions or cilantro, sour cream, and bell peppers

Time-Saving Tip: To save time, you can purchase butternut squash at the grocery store that has already been peeled and cubed.
Roast Butternut Squash: To add an even more earthy flavor to the soup, if you have time, you can oven roast the butternut squash on a baking sheet with oil, salt, and pepper at 400 degrees for 30 minutes before adding to the Instant Pot.
Homemade Vegetable Stock. To add even more flavor, if you make your own vegetable stock with scraps from vegetables, it makes an extremely flavorful broth.

Stove-Top Instructions:

Add oil, and when hot add onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, and then add the ginger and garlic and stir for about a minute.
Then add all the ingredients, except the cream and garnishes, and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes until the butternut squash is softened.
Then add cream and use an immersion blender to make it smooth and creamy.

Nutrition