This cozy sheet pan soup layers the natural sweetness of roasted butternut squash and apples with the subtle licorice flavor of fennel, all punctuated with a splash of apple cider vinegar and the gentle warmth of Aleppo pepper. It’s velvety, nourishing, and so simple to make—perfect for when you want a comforting bowl of wholesome soup.

Roasting the vegetables and apples brings out their natural sweetness and develops a layer of rich, caramelized flavor. Once blended, the result is a silky, creamy soup that feels so luxurious, you’d never guess it’s completely plant-based. 

This soup is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but special enough to serve when hosting. Plus, it all comes together on two sheet pans, meaning big flavor with minimal clean-up. Whether you’re cozying up at home or planning a gathering, don’t miss out on making this unforgettable butternut squash soup recipe. 

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Soup

This creamy, plant-based soup comes together with just a few simple ingredients:

• Butternut squash: Sweet and mild butternut squash gives the soup its silky, golden base. A medium-sized squash, about 2 1/2 pounds, is perfect.
• Apples add a light, fruity sweetness that balances the velvety richness of the squash. Choose sweet apples rather than tart varieties. Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp all work beautifully.
• Fennel adds a subtle licorice flavor that adds a welcome vegetal note. You’ll need a full bulb for this recipe, and you can save some of the bright green fronds to garnish the finished soup! Not a fan of fennel? Substitute an onion.
• Extra virgin olive oil helps the vegetables caramelize as they roast and, drizzled on the finished soup just before serving, adds a wonderful aroma. I recommend a buttery olive oil, such as Italian Nocellara.
  • READ MORE: Cooking with Olive Oil: Everything You Need to Know
  • TRY IT: Italian Nocellara Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Sicily
• Salt and black pepper: While some butternut squash soup recipes incorporate lots of spices, this is not a heavily seasoned soup, so salt and pepper are important to help the flavors of the produce sing. 
• Vegetable broth acts as a light liquid base that lets the flavor of the roasted produce shine. Store-bought or homemade both work well, and you can substitute chicken stock, if you like.
• Aleppo pepper flakes add a smoky, fruity heat that complements the soup beautifully. Feel free to use red pepper flakes instead, but know that they are spicier!
  • READ MORE: What Is Aleppo Pepper and How to Use It
  • TRY IT: Grab a bottle of our Aleppo-style pepper 
• Apple cider vinegar lifts the flavors and keeps the soup from feeling too heavy. Look for raw vinegar with the mother for extra nutritional benefits. Feel free to substitute either white wine vinegar or white balsamic. 
• Roasted pepitas: The perfect garnish for crunch and nutty flavor. You can toast them yourself or buy them already roasted.
• Parsley is optional, but it adds a welcome sprinkle of green.

I was a late adopter of the air fryer, but something that has made it a keeper of an appliance in my house is how easy it makes putting together a quick dinner. 

With just moments to stir together a simple marinade and about 15 minutes of hands-off cooking time, I can have beautifully golden spiced chicken thighs with crispy skin on the table in about 30 minutes. No need to scrub a pan or wipe splatter from the stove; it’s fast and easy, and the resulting juicy, golden chicken speaks for itself! 

Because the marinade relies on an already mixed blend of spices, it comes together in minutes, and then, while the chicken soaks up the flavors, I can get a side dish or two going. This air fryer chicken recipe is the perfect thing to accompany a salad or tie together a few different types of leftovers into a cohesive meal. 

What’s in Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

This recipe is as close to fast food as one can get while still cooking from scratch! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Chicken thighs: Bone-in, skin-on thighs are economical and offer the contrast of crispy skin and juicy meat. Feel free to swap in boneless, skinless thighs; they’ll cook even more quickly! I call for four to six to fit in basket-style air fryers, but my air fryer is large, and I have successfully doubled the recipe. 
• Extra virgin olive oil: Just a touch of olive oil in the marinade brings out the flavor of the spices and helps them to coat the chicken. As they cook, the skin will render fat, so you really only need a small amount. And yes, it’s safe to cook with extra virgin olive at high temperatures.
  • READ MORE: Cooking with Olive Oil: Everything You Need to Know
  • TRY IT: Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Greece
• Lemon: Any time I use a lemon, I like to employ both zest and juice. The zest adds brightness to the marinade, while the juice adds acidity, cutting through the richness of the chicken and adding dimension to the spices.
• Garlic brings a pungent depth that complements the chicken. 
• Ras el hanout: One thing that makes these air fryer chicken thighs so fast is that I use a single spice blend to give the marinade warmth, complexity, and a brilliant golden color. More on this lovely blend in a moment, but know you can easily change the flavor of this recipe by replacing the ras el hanout with another spice blend. Try baharat, Italian seasoning, or our shawarma spice.
• Salt ties all the flavors together and seasons the chicken all the way through.
• Black pepper adds a subtle heat and anchors the flavors of the marinade.

Ingredient Spotlight

Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend. The name literally means “top of the shop.” Every spice seller makes their own unique mix, but it usually includes warming spices like cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and ginger. 

I love that for weeknight recipes and instances when I don’t want to pull out five or six different spice jars out it functions as a convenience ingredient, adding lots of flavor and color from a single jar. The flavor is bold but versatile, not spicy, just roundly aromatic and warming.

• READ MORE: Ras el Hanout: The “Top Shelf” Spice
• TRY IT: When testing this recipe, I used the ras el hanout from our shop.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

It feels almost like a cliché to say it, but air fryer chicken thighs really are as close to a “set it and forget it” cooking experience as I expect to have! I pop the fryer open occasionally to check and make sure they aren’t browning too fast, but otherwise this is largely a hands-off recipe. Here’s the full process step by step. 

• Mix the marinade: In a large bowl, combine 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 tablespoons juice), 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon ras el hanout, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
• Marinate the chicken: Pat 2 pounds (4 to 6) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Add them to the marinade one at a time, turning to coat. Marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 24 hours in the fridge if you have time.
• Preheat the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 380°F for 5 minutes. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in a single layer, leaving space between each one. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Flip and finish: Turn the chicken skin side up and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Crisp the skin (optional): If you like extra crispy skin, or if your air fryer is not as powerful,  increase the temperature to 400°F and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the chicken skin is sizzling and nicely browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

How Long to Cook Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer?

Cook bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in the air fryer for 10 to 18 minutes, depending on their size. Smaller thighs will cook more quickly, while larger pieces will take a few extra minutes to cook through. If you do substitute boneless, skinless thighs, keep in mind that they will cook even faster, and may be cooked though in as little as 8 minutes.

To make sure it’s safe, I always like to check chicken using an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, but not touching it. Chicken should register at least 165°F. That said, chicken thighs (unlike breasts) aren’t likely to dry out with a little extra cooking time. 

Air Fryer Chicken Thigh Tips

This recipe is a simple one, but having made it several times now, I want to offer a couple of tips to help yield the best results!

• Grate your garlic: Pieces of fresh garlic can burn quickly in an air fryer at high temperatures, so I recommend using a zester to grate it into the marinade so it melds with the oil to coat the meat. Plus, if you’re zesting a lemon you’re going to wash it anyway! 
• Start skin side down: I think placing the thighs in the air fryer basket skin side down helps the fat render out and, as a result, helps cut down on how much the skin shrinks. 
• Allow for variability: Just like regular ovens, air fryers can run hotter or colder than the temperature setting. In my experience, they’re even more inconsistent than a typical home oven. If you know your model tends to run hot, feel free to cook your chicken thighs at 370°F so as not to overcook the skin. Conversely, if your air fryer consistently takes longer to cook things to your desired temperature, you can bump the cooking temperature up to 400°F for the full cook time. 
• Cook, then crisp: When in doubt, start at a lower temperature, making sure the chicken is cooked though. Then, if you want to crisp the skin, you can turn up the temperature and let the chicken brown to your liking. This reduces the likelihood that the skin will get overcooked before the meat is cooked through.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Because they’re so fast and easy, I like to pair air fryer chicken thighs with other recipes that come together fast.

Adding a fresh salad is always a great pairing, and I can vouch for the fact that these chicken thighs go well with greens—including this avocado and arugula salad—and also crunchy, chunky salads. I love how the puckery vinegar in this mini bell pepper salad pairs with the crispy chicken skin, and the crunch and caramelized citrus notes of smashed cucumber salad with fried lemon and feta.

It’s also nice to round the meal out with a cooked whole grain or some couscous. I particularly love to serve it with this lemony spinach pearl couscous recipe featured in these photos.

Liguria, in Italy, is famous for gorgeous basil pesto, and clearly, the Ligurian people know what they’re doing when it comes to vegetables because they’ve given us another winner with these green beans. 

This green bean salad recipe is my version of Fagiolini alla Genovese, a recipe I stumbled across from an Italian chef on Instagram. I forgot to save the recipe, and I don’t even remember the chef’s handle so I wasn’t able to go back to it. But thankfully, I was able to recall the most important part of the recipe: the bold, zippy dressing made with anchovies, lemon juice, and olive oil.

The beans themselves were blanched. No problem there. I went to work on the dressing from memory. My taste buds were pleasantly surprised by the bold, yet perfectly balanced flavors. I added some fresh herbs and called it done! 

It’s a perfect side dish for roasted chicken or broiled salmon, and it works just as well served at room temperature as it does warm, so it’s a great option for entertaining. 

What’s in Italian Green Beans?

The most important part of this recipe for Italian-style green beans is, without a doubt, the beans themselves, as there are so few ingredients this is a case where quality really makes a difference! 

• Green beans: Fresh, crisp green beans are the star. You can also use whole frozen green beans for this recipe. Choose the whole ones as they tend to get less soggy, blanch them just until they’re warmed through, and then proceed with the recipe.  
• Anchovy fillets: These little powerhouses add depth, saltiness, and umami to the dressing. Look for high-quality cured anchovies packed in olive oil, either canned or jarred. To make this recipe vegan, you can replace the anchovies with capers.
• Lemon: The zest and juice of a lemon add brightness and zing to the dressing, balancing the richness of the anchovies and olive oil.
• Garlic: You know I love garlic! Its pungent flavor makes the dressing come alive. I like to sizzle thin slices in extra virgin olive oil so they turn into little, golden chips, a fun garnish. 
• Extra virgin olive oil adds richness to the dressing and gives these green beans a luscious shine. I use our Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil when developing this recipe, because I love how it’s both rich and peppery, and excellent with vegetables.
  • READ MORE: Cooking with Olive Oil: Everything You Need to Know
  • TRY IT: Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• Kosher salt and black pepper enhance all the other flavors in the recipe. Take a light hand with the salt, since the anchovies already add plenty.
• Fresh herbs: A sprinkle of chopped parsley and chives adds a fresh, fragrant finish. You can make it without them, or substitute basil if you like. 

How to Make Italian Green Beans

Everybody needs a vegetable side dish that comes together fast. The only trick to this one is not overcooking the beans or the garlic chips! This is really an instance of less is more. Here’s the whole process, step by step. 

• Blanch the green beans. Set a bowl of cold water and ice near the stove. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt the water very well (estimate about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per quart of boiling water). Drop 1 pound trimmed fresh green beans into the boiling salted water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until bright green. Then, use tongs to transfer the green beans to the bowl of iced water and let cool (this will stop the cooking process so the beans stay crisp). 
• Make the garlic chips. In a small saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Drop in 1 to 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves and cook for about 30 seconds or until the garlic has turned golden brown and crispy (it should not be burned). Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside for now. 
• Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, 3 to 4 finely chopped cured oil-packed anchovy fillets, and the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Pour the olive oil slowly into the bowl while whisking continuously until the dressing has emulsified. You may not need all of the oil. Taste and, if needed, add a small pinch of salt and whisk again to combine.
• Finish and serve. Drain the green beans well and transfer to a serving platter. Pour the dressing all over the beans and toss gently. Garnish with the crispy garlic and serve. 

How to Choose the Best Green Beans

What to Serve with Italian Green Beans

This flavorful green bean recipe walks the line between salad and side. You can serve it at room temperature, chilled, or even with the green beans still slightly warm. The garlic-lemon-anchovy trifecta makes it a great pairing for richer meats, including pork chops—either brined and grilled or pan-seared with lemon. 

In the late summer, when beautiful fresh beans are abundant, it’s wonderful as a side for chicken spiedini, grilled trout with a zippy parsley-caper sauce or a roasted whole fish. 

Once winter arrives, I will have no issue making this one with whole frozen beans to enjoy alongside lemon chicken pasta or a warm pan of three cheese-stuffed manacotti.