Each fall as the leaves begin to change, I look forward to serving steaming bowls of golden-orange goodness. Oh so mellow and warm, butternut squash soup fills the belly with a healthy helping of beta-carotene.
Get your vitamin A the yummy way; you can even make it using pumpkin (canned is even OK) or acorn squash. Here’s my one-hour version.
Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash, cut into cubes and peeled
- sesame seed oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- fresh ginger, or a dribble of Asian ginger dressing
- curry powder, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ container no-salt chicken broth or vegetarian broth
- 1 splash apple cider or apple juice
- 3 Tbs cream or milk
- chives, for garnish
To make:
Drizzle some sesame seed oil in the pan and add the cubed squash. Cook on medium, stirring frequently. While that’s happening, chop up the remaining veggies and add them to the pot. Add a little water if necessary and pop the lid on the pot.
Continue checking and stirring as needed. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of your meal (I served this with salmon burgers and leftover asparagus spears).
When the squash is fork-tender, add 2 cups of chicken broth and continue cooking on medium-low with the lid on. Eventually the squash will all mush together. When this happens, add more liquid (chicken broth, apple cider, water).
Use a whisk to vigorously stir the soup into a somewhat non-lumpy consistency. If you have an immersion blender and are feeling motivated (I wasn’t), you can blend it all to velvety smooth perfection. If not, no biggie.
Once you’re happy with the texture of the soup, stir in the cream or milk and remove from heat. Garnish with chives. Serve as a hearty starter to your autumn evening meal.