Butternut Squash Soup

It's getting chilly outside!  Time for some soup, not the usual soups you would think of like chicken noodle, vegetable beef, or chili.  Oddly enough I had on hand a beautiful butternut squash.  (I had planned to peel, chop, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast it to have as a side dish.)  Not so fast, this is going to make a savory soup that I've never made before.  So here goes.

 

This recipe is from the Whole Foods website:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cups cubed butternut squash, *fresh or frozen
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used homemade stock)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

*Butternut squash is kinda tough to peel and chop!  Be careful!  Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, then using a sharp knife, chop into segments and then into chunks.  The squash has seeds that will need to be cleaned out.

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot, celery and onion. 

Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.

 Stir in butternut squash, thyme, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. (Note, I also added two bay leaves)

Use an immersion blender to purée soup. 

Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and carefully purée in batches in an upright blender. 

Lastly, I stirred in a little half and half to make it creamier.  

Serve warm as a starter--how about for Thanksgiving Dinner?

This is yummy!

Enjoy friends!