BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

This soup is my all-time favorite soup! I love soups, I make them all the time, but something about this one reallly gets me. It's super healthy and I make it in huge batches so I can freeze it in single servings so I am able to enjoy it anytime.

Here's all the ingredients you'll need to make this lovely soup...

Cut off each end and remove the seeds of the raw squash, do not peel

Place with the cut side down in a glass baking dish.  Add about 1 cup of water to dish. 

Place in oven and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until very soft when pierced with a fork. 

Bake until it looks like this and is very soft with pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan with the water. The squash will absorb more water. 

While the squash is cooling chop the onions, carrots, potatoes, apples and garlic

Heat olive oil and cook onions, garlic and apples for 8-10 minutes until a little soft. 

Add 32 ounces of chicken broth and add potatoes and carrots. Cook 25-30 minutes until carrots are soft. 

Once cool, remove the squash from the skin with a spoon. 

Put the squash in a large stockpot or in the saute pan if you have one large enough. (I'm doubling this recipe here, so quantities will look huge, because they are and have to use the large stockpot so it will all fit. )

Add the cooked veggies and stock to the squash or the squash to the veggies, whichever marries them together!

Using an immersion blender, blend away! You can use a blender, but this will take a while. 

Keep immersion blending until it looks like this. 

Then add the honey and seasonings. Stir and continue to cook for a few more minutes.  ( I "stir" with the immersion blender, I think it's easier to get it all incorporated that way)

Add the milk, coconut milk and Greek yogurt. Blend or stir again until c

Serve while hot and you can garnish with a little yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche.

I doubled the recipe so that I could freeze some for later. Made 21 servings for the freezer. Yippee!! Butternut Squash soup for weeks!

Butternut Squash Soup

Created  9/30/11                      last updated 6/5/12

Ingredients

1T olive oil

2 butternut squash, 5 lbs (6 cups cooked)

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 cloves of garlic, diced

1-2 Russet potatoes, diced

1 large Fuji apple, diced

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp curry powder

32 oz. chicken stock

2 T honey

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

3/4 cup Greek yogurt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Cut butternut squash in half and lay cut side down in glass baking dish. Add a cup or so of water to the pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until very soft when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool in the pan and water for a few minutes after removing from oven.

Once the squash has cooled, spoon out the squash from the skin and set aside.

Heat butter and olive oil in large pan. Sauté onion, apple and garlic until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, carrot and potatoes. Cook for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are very soft. Add squash to mixture and use potato masher, food processor or immersion blender to puree soup. Then add the honey, cayenne, allspice, nutmeg and ginger. Cook for a few more minutes. Then add milk and yogurt.  Stir and serve. Garnish with a little Greek yogurt or crème fraiche.