Many years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to this recipe, and I have never made another butternut squash soup since. It is the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. It will fill you up and keep you toasty in this chilly weather, and it freezes well, too, in case you want to save some for a rainy day!
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
By Holly Rodricks
Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 large Onion, diced
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 3-4 tbsp. Oil of Choice
- 4-5 lbs. Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
- 3 Carrots, diced
- 1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and diced
- 6 cups Chicken Stock (Vegetable Stock may be substituted for vegetarian version.)
- 2 tbsp. Honey
- 2 (8 oz.) packages Cream Cheese, cubed
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
- dash of Nutmeg
Instructions:
- In a stock pot over medium heat, sauté Onions and Garlic in Oil until translucent.
- Add Squash, Carrots, and Apple. Mix together and cook covered until vegetables start to soften, stirring occasionally, approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Add Stock, Honey, Pepper, Chili Powder, and Nutmeg. Let mixture simmer until vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork, approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Use immersion blender to blend all ingredients in the pot. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend the soup in batches in a regular blender.)
- Add cream cheese and stir until melted and evenly mixed.
- Use immersion blender one more time, if necessary.
- Voila! Enjoy your soup hot, with whatever toppings suit your fancy–roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Sour Cream, fresh or dried Herbs, another sprinkling of Chili Powder, etc. with some fresh bread alongside!
Image courtesy of: http://www.snixykitchen.com/2014/03/25/recipe-rewind-butternut-squash-soup-with-parmesan-crisps/.
