butternut squash soup

This is the recipe for the butternut squash soup I made the other night. It was delicious and went perfectly with the big crusty, toasted slices of bread and salad that I made to go with it. I hope I can squeeze this recipe in a few more times during the cold weather. Ironically enough, the day I made it was the first day in a while that we had the windows open. Figures!

The butternut squash is a pretty awesome thing. It's pretty hard but not a rock like the spaghetti squash, which had to be microwaved for a few minutes before I could cut it. With a little persuading, I cut it in half, no problem.

Then just scoop out the guts, like you would a pumpkin. You can also roast the seeds just like pumpkin seeds!

Rub it with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

And in the oven it goes.

A little more soup magic and you have a delicious hearty meal perfect for warming up cold fingers. :)

I seriously thought there would be too much bread but it was the perfect accompaniment for dipping soup so everyone gobbled it up!


Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from Duhlicious

1 butternut squash
1/2 cup cream
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp + 1 tbsp olive oil


Preheat oven to 400F. Slice squash in half lengthwise, rub cut side with the tsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about an hour or until squash is fork tender. Take it out of the oven and let it cool until you're able to handle it to scoop the flesh out.

In a large pot, heat the tbsp of olive oil. Saute onion and paprika until translucent and add celery, carrots, and water and bring to a simmer. Scoop the butternut squash out of the skin and add to the soup. Discard the skin. Add the bay leaves and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Lower the heat and temper the cream by adding a little hot soup to the cream and mix. Add the whole thing to the pot and stir. Continue to cook on low heat for five more minutes. Let the soup cool a little and either blend it up with an immersion blender or pour it into your food processor, a little at a time depending on the capacity of your robot. ;)

When it's blended up, serve with some crusty bread and a salad. I just sliced a round Italian loaf in half, spread a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and basil on top, and popped it under the broiler until it was toasty. This happens quickly so keep an eye on it!

Enjoy!


What foods are you eating to keep warm?