Pressure Canning Butternut Squash Soup Starter Recipe
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We loooovvveeee butternut squash soup here. And by we, I mean my husband and I, because my kids would never. They’ll eat butternut squash, but I cannot talk them into the soup. Yet. I can both dry packed butternut squash and this butternut squash soup starter. They’re both great, but the best is roasting one out of the larder and making it from scratch scratch for a home-cooked meal. But, somedays I don’t want to do that and I need convenience. And, also, sometimes a butternut squash starts going soft in storage so I need to do something with it. So, I can this soup starter which, in my humble opinion, is the best butternut squash soup recipe out there. I’m also biased because I made it. But whatever. This is a delicious way to preserve butternut squash that otherwise would have rotted in storage. Kay?!
By the looks over the cover photo, you know I like to abbreviate my jar lid labels, so it’s now known as buttnut squash soup. Or butt squash soup, depending on how tired my hand is :D What weird abbreviations do you use?!
Why Don’t I Just Can the Soup?
This is a good question, and of course I’ll tell you why. I tried. I tried making this soup from scratch, spiced to perfection and enjoyable, but found that after pressure canning it and after a few months on the shelf, the taste changed. Those enzymes man and the spices. It was a combo of both of those that just didn’t work out well and I feel like I added reasonable amounts of dry spices. We just didn’t like it. So, I decided to try a soup “starter” meaning I put most of the ingredients in the jar and can it to cook them, then I dump it out to make the soup. I don’t season the starter because it tastes SO MUCH BETTER adding the spices after opening. I don’t make the rules but just take my word for it. Or don’t. Maybe you’ll like it canned!
This meal in a jar is dry pack canned, so you can just dump the contents of the jar into a sauce pan, add chicken stock, and spices, bring to a boil and then puree with an immersion blender. It’s soooooo gooooooooood and the canning process gives it a bit of the caramelized flavor you get when you roast it. A BIT. Like, I made 2 quarts worth today just so I could have some leftovers for the next few days because I love it. And having a bit of bone broth in it makes me feel lovely. I add spices like cinnamon, clove, garlic powder, onion powder, and ginger to really make this a hearty and soul warming soup, so buckle up. You’re gonna want to can ALOT of this.
Canning
If you’re one of those safe canning experts, just know that I’m not dry pack canning just cause. I’ve done my due diligence and research and have come to my own conclusion that the steam created inside the jar from a low-acid vegetable (or fruit) that is comprised of nearly 70% water absolutely allows the thermal process to happen. You’re delusional to think otherwise. And those extension agencies claiming OMG dry pack canning is so dangerous BOTULISMMMMM, are just lazy fricken scientists. Why don’t we PROVE it’s not safe. Oh yeah, because they won’t. And they can’t. Just because I’m doing something you won’t find in a Ball blue book or on the NCHFP website does not mean is dangerous activity. And I’ll hear no more about it.
If you can raw pack MEAT and process it SaFeLy, you can raw pack vegetables with no extra liquid, too, and be just fine. Not only that, but we’re quite considerable overprocessing our food anyway in the name of safety due to unnatural innoculation testing but who am I. And maybe you should read about that here.
The main thing you need to take into account when you’re starting to learn canning is that EVERYONE has an opinion and EVERYONE will share it. It is up to you to do your own research and figure out what will work best for you and your family and what works within your comfort level. Want to stick to only Ball tested recipes? Do it. Think that’s stupid? Make this.
Equipment You Might Want:
- Wide Mouth Canning Jar(s)
- Canning Lids & Screw Bands
- Jar Funnel
- Pressure Canner
- Water Bath Canning Pot
- Jar Lifter
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients:
PER QUART JAR
- 3 cups butternut squash (peeled & cubed)
- 1/2 cup sweet potato (cubed, peeled if you want)
- 1/4 cup red skin potato (cubed, peeled if you want)
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon bacon fat
Step 1: Fill Jars
Cube up ingredients into smaller pieces so you can really pack your mason jars full of ingredients since we’re dry pack canning.
Start by adding the ingredients to your jars, adjusting the amount for however many quart jars you’d like to can. Since we are dry pack canning these, you can fill the jars to the very tippy top and not worry about leaving 1 inch of headspace. During the canning process, the veggies will heat and let off steam and create their own headspace.
Once filled, add bacon fat to the top. You don’t have to use the fat, but it gives it such lovely flavor!
Don’t worry about air bubbles, again, we’re dry pack canning. There’s gonna be air.
Step 2: Canning
Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with screw bands according to lid manufacturer’s instructions.
Process quart jars of soup starter in a pressure canner at your elevations recommended weight for 90 minutes.
Water Bath Canning (rebel): you can process quart jars in a boiling water bath for 3 hours at a full rolling boil, adjusting that time for elevation if needed. Depending on if you follow American water bath times or European/German, the times will differ for water bath canning low acid foods.
Once processing time is complete, allow pressure canner to completely depressurize before removing jars and placing on a heat proof surface to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 3: Storage
After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Proper storage temperature is between 55-70F.
Shelf life is ’til you eat it. If the seal is good, the food is good. Aim to rotate canned foods out every two years if possible for maximum nutrition and flavor, but they can and WILL last much longer if you need them to.
To Prepare:
Add 1 quart jar of soup starter to a small stock pot over medium heat. Add 2 cups of chicken broth to start and bring mixture to a boil. Heat through.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, blender, or food processor (whatevs ya got). Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. I will sometimes add a pinch of cayenne for some spice or a pour of heavy cream for extra richness.
Serve hot as a main dish or a side with sandwiches, like grilled cheese on homemade sourdough. It also makes for easy appetizers when making big meals! There are many different ways to use this meal in a jar!
Notes:
The potatoes may discolor to a brown or gray color. That’s completely normal since I don’t soak them prior to canning and doesn’t affect the flavor.
The butternut squash I grow are always really sweet, it must be the strain I have because I’ve been using the same seeds for like 10 years. If yours isn’t as sweet, like ones from the grocery store, you can totally add some brown sugar to the soup to sweeten it up just a bit if that’s your thing. I don’t find it necessary though.
If you don’t have chicken broth, vegetable broth works well, too.
I hope you enjoy my homemade fast food recipes! This is a good one :)
Equipment
- Wide Mouth Canning Jars
- Canning lids & screw bands
- jar lifter
Ingredients
PER QUART JAR
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled & cubed
- 1/2 cup sweet potato cubed, peeled if you want
- 1/4 cup red skin potato cubed, peeled if you want
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon bacon fat
Instructions
- Cube up ingredients into smaller pieces so you can really pack your mason jars full of ingredients since we’re dry pack canning.
- Start by adding the ingredients to your jars, adjusting the amount for however many quart jars you’d like to can. Since we are dry pack canning these, you can fill the jars to the very tippy top and not worry about leaving 1 inch of headspace. During the canning process, the veggies will heat and let off steam and create their own headspace.
- Once filled, add bacon fat to the top. You don’t have to use the fat, but it gives it such lovely flavor!
- Don’t worry about air bubbles, again, we’re dry pack canning. There’s gonna be air.
- Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with screw bands according to lid manufacturer’s instructions.
- Process quart jars of soup starter in a pressure canner at your elevations recommended weight for 90 minutes.
- Water Bath Canning (rebel): you can process quart jars in a boiling water bath for 3 hours at a full rolling boil, adjusting that time for elevation if needed. Depending on if you follow American water bath times or European/German, the times will differ for water bath canning low acid foods.
- Once processing time is complete, allow pressure canner to completely depressurize before removing jars and placing on a heat proof surface to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Proper storage temperature is between 55-70F.
- Shelf life is ’til you eat it. If the seal is good, the food is good. Aim to rotate canned foods out every two years if possible for maximum nutrition and flavor, but they can and WILL last much longer if you need them to.
To Prepare:
- Add 1 quart jar of soup starter to a small stock pot over medium heat. Add 2 cups of chicken broth to start and bring mixture to a boil. Heat through.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, blender, or food processor (whatevs ya got). Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
