Tuesday, January 12, 2016

My Favorite Butternut Squash Soup

Winter has been teasing us thus far this season with a frigid few days followed by unseasonably warm temperatures. 

Well, today we are supposed to get our first "real" snowfall of the season.  Ok, only a few inches, but that's still more than we've gotten at any one time so far. 

Just bizarre. 

Anyway, it's a perfect day for a nice hot bowl of soup! 

I made this amazing soup on Sunday and wanted to share the recipe with you - it's just so incredibly good and I'm glad I had a little extra for the freezer. 


I had a couple of butternut squashes I grew in my veggie garden that were crying out to become soup. In addition, I gathered up some potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and the frozen turkey broth I made after Thanksgiving. 


I started as I always do, by heating up my best friend on low-med, with a drizzle of olive oil. 

(Have I told you how much I love, love, LOVE this pot? Worth every penny. Without a doubt.) 

Anyway. I chopped two large onions and cooked them until soft. While they were cooking I was prepping the rest of my veggies, starting with the garlic. 

An entire head of garlic, minced, was next. I made a hole in the onions, dropped in a pat of butter, and cooked the garlic just until golden. 

In went the still very much frozen turkey broth - 2 quarts to start. While the broth was thawing in the pot, I kept on prepping. 


The butternut squash was next, peeled and cut into large cubes, seeds and pith discarded. 


My knife was struggling with the squash! But we got it done. Isn't it gorgeous? 

You could also use frozen butternut squash to make things easier on yourself. 

The squash went into the pot while I got the potatoes peeled and chopped. 


2 sweet potatoes were cut into large chunks and thrown in next. 

After about 10 minutes I put in the 4 white potatoes, simply cut in half as they cook much more quickly than the squash and sweet potatoes. 


Did I mention that while I was doing all this I was also making a pot of rice pudding? 

Yup, I had cooked white rice to use up so what better to do with it than a good homemade rice pudding? 

Yummmmmm!

(By the way, did you notice that my new best friend now has a baby sister? Yup, my other favorite pot. I'm telling you, I'm hooked! Foodie's dream!)


At this point, the lid went on and I simmered on the lowest setting for at least an hour while I worked on other projects.  Like hanging pictures. Which took me a while to get right with all the measuring, I'll tell you!


After about an hour I tested the squash and potatoes and they were soft and ready for the next step. 

A little whirl around with my immersion blender and the addition of a quart of chicken broth (the soup was quite thick) and we were ready to season. 

I added: 

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste - (always more pepper than salt for us)
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

And the end result?


It was simply amazing! Just enough of a tiny kick from the cayenne (which I have always found this type of soup benefits from.)

The Allspice and Cinnamon really complement the squash and sweet potato. 

The soup is lovely and creamy without adding a drop of cream. 

Heaven in a bowl, right there!

We had a light supper with some soup and an egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread. 


Followed by a little warm rice pudding with a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

The perfect end to the meal. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Recipe:

You will need:

2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into large cubes
4 large white potatoes, peeled and cut in half
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 large onions, chopped
1 head of garlic, minced
3 quarts of stock (I used 2 quarts turkey stock + 1 quart chicken stock)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbs Olive oil 
1 tbs butter

Heat large stockpot on low- medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. 

Saute onions until soft and slightly browned. 

Make a 'hole' in the middle of the onions and drop in the butter. Saute the garlic in the butter just until golden brown. 

Add in 2 quarts of the stock. 

Add the butternut squash and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. 

Let simmer about 10 minutes and then add in the white potatoes. 

Cover, reduce heat to the lowest setting, and simmer for about an hour. 

When potatoes and squash are all very tender use an immersion blender to puree the soup. 

Add the other quart of broth if needed to create desired consistency. 

Add in spices and whisk to combine. 

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed..and then share it with someone you love!

Enjoy, friends!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sharing at

Tweak It Tuesday












16 comments:

  1. Wow that looks anazing!! Was there any left?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A little! I had it for lunch today and it's still amazing! And there's a little in the freezer also - it will be great for a quick meal some day!

      Delete
  2. Oh my this recipe sounds so good and with it being Winter, just like you, I am really into soups, stews and chowders!
    Thank you for sharing!
    xo
    Jemma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely one of my go-to's at this time of year. I just want to make a big pot of something cozy!! xo

      Delete
  3. Yum...I am a rice pudding junkie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was so hard not to have a second helping last night, Kim - I've always been a rice pudding junkie ever since I was a kid!!

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the soup recipe, Deb. It sounds and looks delish.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wrote down this recipe because my printer is so low on ink! My mother used to make a butternut squash soup and rice pudding. I'll try this in my green Le Cruset! They are fabulous. Your whole menu sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My mom makes a great rice pudding, that's why I love it so much. And what a fantastic way to use up leftover cooked rice!

      Delete
  6. Pinned the soup recipe for future reference! The whole meal looks soooo good! Love the little piggy lounging on top of your spices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha my little piggy has a chipped ear but I love him so much he stays!! I've had him so long I can't remember where I got him, yet the price tag is still on his belly - $5!! I think it was at a craft fair or similar as it's a hand written sign.

      Delete
  7. Yum-yum! Very similar to how I make my butternut squash soup. And I made a similar soup last night, but using carrots and sweet potato. Jazzed it up with coconut milk with the broth. Unfortunately, I have now learned that I can't have too much onion in my food and garlic is a huge no-no as I have IBS and boy, do those foods trigger it! I used to cook with a ton of onion and garlic. Oh well. I totally agree with you about the Le Creuset cookware! I was lucky enough to win one of their skillets through a blog giveaway a couple of years ago and then Christmas 2014, my sisters-in-law bought me a Le Creuset dutch oven (oval). I use both all the time and they still look brand-new. Best cookware ever!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do NOT know what I would do if I couldn't cook with onions and garlic any more!! Oh you lucky dog - what a great win - how awesome! I am drooling over a skillet right now....I have one skillet in my cabinet that is all scratched up and needs to be replaced. Some day I'll get the right coupon and go for it!

      Delete

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment...I truly love reading your comments and I try to respond to each and every one of your sweet comments right here on my blog page!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
09 10