Butternut Squash Soup

Nothing says that fall is here quite like the abundance of winter squash that floods the markets and one of the best butternut. Butternut squash has a sweet, mild, buttery flavor that doesn’t become stringy like most other winter squashes when cooked. This quality is what makes butternut a perfect choice to turn into soup. Butternut squash soup is warming on a cold rainy fall day. It warms the heart and it warms the soul. It’s an incredible easy soup to make, requiring a few, every day ingredients and even fewer steps. Some people like to cook the squash in whatever liquid they choose to use, however by roasting the squash, it starts to caramelize which produces a soup that full of flavor, with very little effort. By the way, after roasting and pureeing the squash, this makes a wonderful first food for an infant.

What You Need:

Approx. 2 lbs of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into one inch chunks
2-3 garlic cloves, skins still on
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp sage
2 cups of veggie stock
1/2 to 1 cup of half and half, milk or heavy cream
salt and pepper

What To Do:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash and garlic cloves with the oil, sage and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes. You want the squash to be super soft and tender. Remove the squash from the oven and allow to cool for a bit. Place the squash and veggie stock into a blender along with the garlic, making to to squeeze the now roasted garlic from its skins. Place the lid back on the blender, along with the a kitchen towel over the top. Start the blender on low speed so that the pressure from the still semi hot squash doesn’t create a vacuum and blow the lid off the blender. Once you’ve got your mixture pureed, empty it into a pot over medium low heat. Once the soup has started to bubble, stir in the half and half. Use as much half and half as you like to get it to your desired consistency. I like a thicker soup so I only used about 1/2 a cup.  Serve!