Butternut squash soup

I have an ongoing love affair with butternut squash. It's nutty, fragrant, and sweet.

I was a little worried about attempting a blended soup. About a year ago, I tried making a blended tomato and brie soup. Yeah... that was not a successful venture, to put it lightly. I ended up with a funky-smelling tomato sauce.

I was relieved when this soup came together surprisingly easily. It took less than an hour, thanks to some store-bought ingredients. I used Trader Joe's cubed butternut squash and whatever vegetables I had on hand.

I didn't really use a recipe but made up one based on a few recipes I've seen online. I mixed baby carrots, butternut squash, and some potatoes I had on hand.

This soup was soooooo good. It was creamy, even without the addition of cream (I ended up adding just a little, but I don't think it made that much of a difference.) It's very flavorful; the spices are not too noticeable but they serve to bring out the natural flavors of the squash.

saute vegetables in butter and olive oil

add the stock to cover the vegetables and simmer until tender

Blend, and eat!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 2 lbs of cubed butternut squash, or 2 bags of Trader Joe's pre-cubed butternut squash
• 2 small potatoes
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 carton chicken stock
• cumin
• curry powder
• salt, pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter and oil in a dutch oven or other large pan. (I used 3 1/2 qt.)
2. Saute the onions until soft on medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock to cover the vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, curry powder to taste. (You can experiment with others as well... I added a little fresh sage.)
4. Simmer on low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
5. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add the heavy cream for extra richness if you desire. Serve!

**Serving suggestions: some people like a little sour cream on top. I like serving it with crostini and some melted parmesan on top.

***This soup also freezes well. I freeze individual servings for later.