Butternut Squash Soup

Fall seems to be officially here in the Pacific Northwest, and I am so excited! Fall is my favorite season, hands-down! One of the many reasons I love fall is winter squash. Pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, you name it! Butternut Squash was one of the first foods I pureed for my kids when they were babies, and I frequently snuck bites for myself. I’ll post the recipe for butternut squash soup that I made today, but I have to admit that I rarely make it the same way twice! All you really need is a butternut squash and some vegetable broth – it can be as simple as that, delicious in its simplicity. Or you can experiment with different spices — here I used traditional nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon, but sometimes I’ll go with cumin and red pepper. I’ve added soy milk and Earth Balance margarine here for an extra rich and creamy soup. Snuggle up inside on a cold day and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup soy milk (optional)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Place halves face-down on a baking sheet or casserole dish, and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate halves face-up, prick with a fork, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender.*

Set squash aside until it is cool enough to handle. With a spoon, scoop the squash out of the skin and into a large soup pot. Add vegetable broth and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth.** Stir in spices, soy milk, earth balance, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

* You can bake the squash a day or two in advance and store it in the refrigerator until it is needed, for a faster prep time.

** If you don’t own an immersion blender, go out and buy one! Seriously, though, you can blend this soup in batches in a traditional blender. You will need to be very careful while handling the hot liquid, and may want to wear oven mitts while blending, just in case of any splattering! An immersion blender is generally not too pricey and will be well worth your money if you enjoy smooth and creamy soups – it will take only a minute to blend and is much less messy than using the regular blender!