Butternut Squash Soup

Part of my quest for a lovely life includes eating fresh and healthy foods. Where I live they have one of the largest producer only farmers markets in the country. They hold the farmers market every Saturday morning year round, and they hold it on Wednesday evenings during the summer as well. I decided to go there and see what yummy things I could find. One of the things I came home with was a beautiful butternut squash.

The first time that I decided I could possibly like Butternut Squash was when I was 16. We were at my cousins wedding reception at a super cute little Inn just south of Park City Utah. As the reception was drawing to a close my dad decided that he wanted to go to the little room that served as the restaurant for the Inn and order some of their butternut squash soup. I have no idea why he decided that, but I am glad that he did, because he invited me to come with him. After a few cautious bites I decided I liked it. Since then I have made my own butternut squash soup many times, and this is the recipe I have ended up with. It is the perfect soup to eat on a cold day, especially with warm rolls or bread. And with the fall weather rolling in, and butternut squash coming in to season it is the perfect time to try this lovely little dish.

Butternut Squash Soup

2-4 lb. Butternut squash
2 T. Butter
1 medium white or yellow onion
2 carrots
3 cloves garlic
1/2 -1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1 T. brown sugar
3-5 C. chicken or vegetable stock
1/2-1 C. cream

This recipe is hard to give exact measurements for, because it all depends on the size of the squash you bring home. But this recipe will gives you the right range to work in.

To begin with, you will want to prep all of your vegetables. Dice the onion, and peel and dice the carrot. In a large pot melt the butter over medium high heat, then add the onion and carrot and cook until softened (about 7-8 minutes). Then chop up your garlic and toss that in the pot and let it cook until it is fragrant (about 1 minute). Then pour in 1 cup of the chicken or vegetable broth (I prefer chicken broth because it adds more flavor) and add the salt, pepper, bay leaves, nutmeg and sugar. Simmer the onion mixture until you are ready to add the butternut squash.

 Peel and then cut the butternut squash into about 1 inch cubes, then throw them in the pot. Cover with just enough broth to cover the squash. You want enough liquid to cook the squash, but not too much, otherwise your final soup product will be really runny and watery. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover with a lid and turn the heat down to medium-low. let it cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the squash is nice and mushy.

Once the squash is thoroughly softened, you will remove the bay leaves and then process the soup. To get the soup creamy and smooth you will need to run the soup through a blender or food processor, or use my favorite new kitchen gadget, the immersion blender. At this point you can choose how chunky you want the soup. This is where my picky factor kicks in. I really don't like any lumps in this soup, so I make sure it is completely smooth and lump free.

After you have smoothed out your soup chunks you will want to add the cream. With a smaller batch of soup I only add about 1/2 cup, but if I used a larger squash I will end up using a whole cup of cream. Add however much you want to get the soup to a consistency that you like. If you want it really thick you might only want to add 1/4 cup.  Make sure you save 1-2 tablespoons of the cream for serving. I absolutely love drizzling a little bit of the cream over my soup once it is in the bowl. It adds a cool creaminess to it that complements it so well! Or you could try adding a dollop of sour cream, or sprinkle it with some bits of bacon or croutons. Have fun with it. I sure did.

Enjoy!