Butternut squash Soup

If you have ever eaten butternut squash soup, you know just how delicious it can be. If you have ever made it, you know that there isn’t just butternut squash in it; a lot of people don’t know this. A lot of people should because it is super easy to make!

I usually take the “what do I have that is about to turn” philosophy when making this soup, with everything going on now I really had some random stuff to use. You can really use anything you have at any combination if it fits the texture and savory/sweet profile. What I mean by that is that you shouldn’t substitute zucchini for sweet potato or throw in something like brussels sprouts, you’ll know if something wouldn’t fit quite right.

Here is my guide to a delicious soup!

Like I said before, I had a bunch of random stuff in the house so the following is what I used, I didn’t measure amounts because you just need the broth:vegetable ratio to be right. You will need to just cover the vegetables in the pot with the broth, not too much over the top of the vegetables; just to the point where they are covered. Following is what I used to use as a guide:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 yellow potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• I stalk of celery, chopped
• 1/2 of a large daikon radish, peeled and chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 32 oz carton of chicken bone broth (you can use vegetable broth for a vegetarian/vegan version)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (see note)
• 1 light tbsp curry powder
• Dash of cayenne

[Note: I use coconut milk and curry because I like that flavor combination. If you don’t like it, use a dash of nutmeg and finish with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl]

I put the butter in a 5 qt stack pot and melted then added the vegetables and sautéed for about 5 – 7 minutes, just wanted to get the onions a little brown and on the softer side. I added the broth, curry, cayenne and salt and pepper then cooked for about 45 minutes.

I transferred The softened vegetables to my Nutribullet and puréed, you can use a blender if you like too. I moved the vegetables, straining a lot of the liquid off so I could add it back to my desired consistency; add just enough to allow the blending mechanism to do the work. I added the puréed soup back to the stockpot and finished with some broth to get almost a thin as I would like then topped off with coconut milk.

After I put it in the bowls, I added some crisped up leftover chicken breast and pumpkin seeds. You can add anything to the bowl that you like to give it some texture, some are good suggestions:

• Bacon (um, yeah!)
• Sour cream
• Pecans
• Rice (wild rice would be great)
• Orzo
• Quinoa
• Farro
• Leftover pork
• Anything you think would be good, it is your food so make it your own!

Lastly, you can either roast the vegetables or put them in a crockpot but I have found problems with both of those options. I am not trying to discourage you from trying it, just letting you know this method has returned the best result for me. Enjoy!