Soups and stews · 30 min
Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach Salad & Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
- 30 min
- 2–6 servings
- 705 kcal / serving
Butternut squash soup paired with a fresh spinach salad and lemon poppy seed dressing. The silky soup complements the tangy, crunchy salad, making a balanced weeknight option that comes together in about half an hour.
Free on iPhone · servings scaled, grocery list written for you.
Ingredients
- 1 (5 oz) pkgbaby spinach
- 1 smallbutternut squash
- 1 mediumcarrot
- 24 fl ozchicken or vegetable broth
- ½ (4 oz) pkgcrumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cupdried cranberries
- 1Gala apple
- 1 (1 inch) pieceginger root
- 1lemon
- ⅛ cuppumpkin seeds
- ⅛ cupwalnuts
- 4 fl ozwhole milk
- 1 mediumyellow onion
- carrots
- Gala apples
- lemons
- yellow onions
From the pantry: cinnamon, ground, curry powder, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, honey, onion powder, poppy seeds, salt
Cookware
chef's knife · citrus juicer (optional) · colander · cutting board · grater (optional) · hand or regular blender · ladle · large pot · measuring cups · measuring spoons · mixing bowls · stirring spoon · tongs · vegetable peeler · whisk or fork
Kitchen help: cups to grams · tablespoons to cups · oven temperatures · butter conversions · what each cooking tool is for · ingredient substitutes
More dinner ideas: easy dinners
Shopping list by aisle
Produce
- 1 (5 oz) pkgbaby spinach
- 1 smallbutternut squash
- 1 mediumcarrot
- 1Gala apple
- 1 (1 inch) pieceginger root
- 1lemon
- 1 mediumyellow onion
- carrots
- Gala apples
- lemons
- yellow onions
Dairy, eggs & chilled
- ½ (4 oz) pkgcrumbled feta cheese
- 4 fl ozwhole milk
Pantry & dry goods
- 24 fl ozchicken or vegetable broth
- ¼ cupdried cranberries
- ⅛ cuppumpkin seeds
- ⅛ cupwalnuts
3 aisles for this recipe. Plan a week in MealPot and it merges every dinner into one list in this order, scaled to your household.
Ingredients for 2, 4 and 6 servings
| Ingredient | 2 servings | 4 servings | 6 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| baby spinach | 1 (5 oz) pkg | 2 (5 oz) pkgs | 3 (5 oz) pkgs |
| butternut squash | 1 small | 2 small | 3 small |
| carrot | 1 medium | 2 medium | 3 medium |
| chicken or vegetable broth | 24 fl oz | 48 fl oz | 72 fl oz |
| crumbled feta cheese | ½ (4 oz) pkg | 1 (4 oz) pkg | 1 ½ (4 oz) pkgs |
| dried cranberries | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
| Gala apple | 1 | ||
| ginger root | 1 (1 inch) piece | 2 (1 inch) pieces | 3 (1 inch) pieces |
| lemon | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| pumpkin seeds | ⅛ cup | ¼ cup | 0.375 cup |
| walnuts | ⅛ cup | ¼ cup | 0.375 cup |
| whole milk | 4 fl oz | 8 fl oz | 12 fl oz |
| yellow onion | 1 medium | 2 medium | 3 medium |
| Gala apples | 2 | 3 |
Quantities in US units. Any other household size: MealPot scales the recipe and the grocery list for you.
Directions
- Wash and dry the produce. Peel and small dice the carrot and onion, and peel and mince or grate the ginger.
- In a large pot over medium heat, add a drizzle of oil and swirl to coat. Add the carrot, onion, and ginger and cook until tender, about 4–5 minutes.
- Prepare the squash by trimming ends, halving, scooping out seeds, then peeling and dicing to roughly 4 cups. Add to the pot along with the broth and spices; bring to a boil, then simmer until the squash is fork-tender, 10–15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, juice half of the lemon. Whisk in the oil, honey, Dijon mustard, onion powder, and poppy seeds to make a dressing.
- Core and dice the apple; roughly chop the walnuts.
- Add the spinach, feta, walnuts, cranberries, and apple to the dressing. Toss to coat and set aside.
- When the squash is tender, juice the remaining lemon into the pot and add the milk. Stir to combine and remove from heat.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls and top with pumpkin seeds; serve with the salad on the side.
Two tips
- Prep the salad components ahead: dice apples and chop walnuts while the soup simmers.
- Swap nuts: use walnuts or pumpkin seeds in the salad, or serve the dressing over a simple greens mix.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 705 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fiber
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 492 mg
Estimates from the recipe's published nutrition data; they change with the version you pick above.
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Ingredient quantities, timing and nutrition follow the original Mealime recipe ↗ (captured 2026-09-12). The photo is MealPot's AI-rendered illustration of the finished dish; the description, directions, aisle list and serving table are MealPot's.