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Weeknight Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup
As soon as the first fall chill comes through, everyone breaks out their crock pot and runs to the store for ingredients for soup. I mean, what is better than a bowl of soup on a chilly night?! Nothing.
Now, I admit, I'm not a soup person. That is, unless it is a heavy "hug in a bowl" type of soup (bisque or cream based soup). I don't really love broth-based soups or *gasp* Ramen. In the past, this has prevented me from making soup at all - which is silly.
So I broke out my favorite cookbook and decided to get some inspiration. Not only is this cookbook the greatest for families, but it's good for comfort food. It is filled with no-frills good old fashioned home cooking (read - my favorite).
Creamy butternut squash soup sounded like the best possible thing, and I knew it would be a winner in my house. I modified the original recipe a tad, making it simple and tailored to our tastebuds.
Ingredients
1 large Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 2" cubes
1 Sweet Onion, fine shopped
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Stick of Butter
1 cup (approximately) Heavy Cream
4 cups Chicken (or vegetable) Broth
Dash of White Pepper
Dash of Nutmeg
Pinch of Salt
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
1. In a dutch oven, melt a stick of butter over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is translucent.
2. Combine chicken broth, butternut squash, white pepper, nutmeg, and salt in dutch oven and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes.
4. When the squash is tender, stir while pouring in heavy cream. Use as much, or as little as you want.
5. When the soup mixture has slightly cooled, ladle into a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.
6. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Serve with farmhouse style bread or rolls.
Enjoy!
It is really that simple. It's a recipe that could also be done in the crock pot if you want to let it cook all day while at work or your kid's sporting events on the weekends. Just combine everything in a crock pot and let it cook down on low for 8 hours. Then blend and enjoy while hot.
Toasted pumpkin seeds are a breeze - once all the pulp has been cleaned off the seeds, place a fine layer on a baking sheet and season with salt or paprika for 30 minutes on 350 degrees or until toasted.
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