Quick Butternut Squash Soup

This buttery, luscious squash soup is pure delight! Packed with flavor and nutrients too. Great to make on a Fall cold day and a perfect soup for the first course of your gourmet meal too! Won’t be disappointed...

Quick Butternut Squash Soup

Yield: 4 10-ounce bowls

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 medium carrots, 1-inch chunks
1 medium butternut squash, ~ 2 1⁄2 cups
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt or light sour cream
Optional: 2 teaspoons ginger, minced

Garnish: Sprinkle of chopped fresh sage or parsley

Equipment needed:

3-quart saucepan with lid
Cutting board
Chef knife
Measuring spoons
Liquid measuring cup
Rubber spatula
Ladle
Hand or standard blender

I love the creamy texture of butternut squash and in soup it’s superb! The delicate sweet squash, flavored with aromatic vegetables is full of vitamin A and fairly low in calories too. Gluten free as well. The entire recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare too, which makes it even better. I usually make it ahead and then heat it up right before serving... so yummy it’s hard to resist! Grab your saucepan and let’s make soup!

To begin:

1) Prep the vegetables prior to beginning to heat the saucepan, as shown above.

2) Place a 2-quart saucepan over medium high heat for 3 – 5 minutes. Melt butter and sauté garlic and onions until onions turn translucent and yellow in color. Reduce the heat and be careful not to burn the butter and saucepan contents in the sauté process. Add the carrot chunks and cubed squash and continue to stir and heat for two additional minutes.

Next step:

3) Add the broth to the vegetables and dry seasonings. Stir well and bring it all to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables were fork tender. The carrots will take a bit longer to cook than the squash, so be sure to wait until they are also cooked through. To check for doneness, carrots should easily pierce and fall apart with a fork.

4) While the veggies are simmering, chop the fresh sage and parsley. Rolling the sage leaves together makes at the process a bit easier. Add the sage to the stock pot.

Last step is the blending process.

5) I love a hand blender for making soup! Easier than ladling and a safer too. Immerse the blender into the soup to the bottom of the pot, using a circular motion, blend until smooth. Add the chopped parsley and continue blending.

6) If using a standard blender, carefully ladle the hot soup into a blender and fill 1⁄2 full with the chopped parsley. Two batches may have to be blended safely. Don’t be tempted to over fill the blender with hot liquid, as this could create a dangerous situation if blended too quickly, causing hot liquid to splatter everywhere! Begin by pulsing the blender until most vegetables are broken up in the liquid. Pour blended soup back into the saucepan.

7) Add the Greek yogurt/ sour cream and blend on medium speed until smooth.

Doesn't it smell amazing? Taste it and adjust the seasonings to your preference. Keep soup on very low heat until ready to serve. Soup can also be made ahead and then reheated for serving. When ready to eat, garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley or sage... ENJOY!

** I often serve open-faced toasted cheese sandwiches with this soup for a great, easy dinner too!