On cold chilly nights such as these, I just want to bundle up on the couch and eat a nice bowl of warm soup. Most soup is full of salt and I feel I need a large glass of water to go with it... when I would much rather a warm glass of hot chocolate on the side.
I looked up a handful of butternut squad recipes, but they all called for heavy whipping cream or an overwhelming amount of salt. So I attempted to make my own stab at it. My husband didn't notice the difference and ate three bowls full. So this recipe is a clear winner that's here to stay.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 Whole Butternut Squash
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg (plus more for garnish)
- ½ cup almond milk
- 4 slices of turkey bacon
- green onions for garnish
- Optional: greek yogurt for garnish
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut
the squash in half and remove the seeds using a spoon.
Line a
baking sheet with tin foil or a silpat sheet and place the squash, cut-side up, on the
sheet. Place in the
oven and roast for 1 to 1½ hours or until you can easily insert a fork
or knife. Once it's done, remove from the oven and drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on top. Allow it to cool.
Next, scoop out the inside of the squash using a spoon into a medium sized pot (I use my dutch oven) and discard the skin. Turn the oven to 400 degrees.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil, the onion, carrots, salt, pepper and nutmeg over medium-high heat and
saute until the onions are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
While it's cooking, add bacon to the oven so that it will be crispy. I usually cook it 8-10 minutes, but keep an eye out for it's crispiness.
Add
the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling,
reduce heat to a low-medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Check on your bacon. It should be ready to take out of the oven by now.
Using
an immersion blender, puree the mixture until
completely smooth. Then turn up to medium-high heat
and add the almond milk. Heat mixture until hot, but not to a boil.
Add salt and/or pepper to taste as needed. Place your butternut squash in a bowl.
For garnish, crumble your bacon over the butternut squash. Add a few diced green onions and a dollop of greek yogurt if you desire. Also feel free to add a pinch of nutmeg. Bon appetit!
