Add This Fruity Topping To Butternut Squash Soup And You'll Never Turn Back

A hearty bowl of butternut squash soup is the perfect dish to usher in autumn. While the rich, nutty squash, infused with herbs and broth, stands well on its own, enhancing it with extra ingredients is rarely a bad idea. Crispy, roasted chickpeas and toasted nuts and seeds are perfect for the dish, but pomegranate seeds will be your new favorite butternut squash soup topping.

Though you may be no stranger to pomegranate seeds, using them to top off soup may seem a little odd. They make a sweet addition to smoothie bowls and yogurt parfaits, but to accompany squash? However, one taste of the duo will get you absolutely hooked. Butternut squash is deep and earthy — bites of tangy pomegranate seeds in each spoonful help to cut through the richness without taking away from the soup's depth. The seeds have a complexity that ranges from bright and floral to woodsy, serving as the perfect complement to the winter squash.

Not only is it a great ingredient for upgrading butternut squash soup, but pomegranate soup has been paired with various iterations of the vegetable. Fall harvest caramelized mushroom salad features roasted butternut squash and pomegranate seeds, while butternut squash tacos are brightened with tart pomegranate pico de gallo. When adding pomegranate seeds to butternut squash soup, all you need to do is place them atop the cooked soup and swirl them in for a juicy, crunchy touch in each rich sip.

Pomegranate seeds can be added to your standard butternut squash soup, but to really make the flavors shine, consider tailoring the soup to the fruit. To complement the tangy seeds and give the soup an autumnal feel, flavor it with spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Pomegranate is a winter fruit, and heady spices bring out the rich, woodsy nuances of its seeds. You can add a sprinkle of the spices as the soup simmers, or toss the cubes in them prior to roasting.

To really highlight the flavor of the tart fruit and soup, spice it up with ingredients from the regions it's native to. Pomegranate trees are found across Iran and northern India; spices like turmeric, cumin, and cardamom highlight the earthiness of both the pomegranates and butternut squash, while sumac embraces the brightness of the fruit. Pomegranate trees also grow across the Mediterranean, making herbs from the region — like oregano, thyme, za'atar, and rosemary — the best herbs to flavor pomegranate seed butternut squash soup.