This winter soup has butternut squash as the star of this dish along with vitamins A, C, and other nutrient rich vegetables to keep your immune system strong during the colder and less sunny days of the year. This recipe makes a lot of soup that can be canned or stored in the freezer for another day. Here’s how to make it.
Choose a large butternut squash for this recipe because it is the star of the show.
Peel and remove the seeds from the squash and cut into 1 inch chunks. You can buy pre-cut squash; however, much of the nutritional value is lost when it is cut, bagged, and shipped to stores and then sits on the rack for awhile before purchase. It is worth the extra effort to cut up the squash yourself.
Next, prepare the other veggies, 1 large sweet onion, 1 large bell pepper, 2 cups baby carrots, 3 stalks celery w/leaves, and 4 whole cloves of garlic.
Place all the veggies in a large pot, and cover with water that is 1 inch above veggies when pushed down.
Add 2 heaping tablespoons of dried thyme and 2 teaspoons of chicken base to the pot, you can add more chicken base later if it needs more flavor.
Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 45 min. to an hour until all of the vegetables are completely soft.
After veggies are done and very soft, allow to cool for a few minutes and puree the soup with an emersion blender. You can use a regular blender but be very careful, and do not fill the blender more than half way and use the cover slightly ajar to allow steam to escape because the hot soup will expand and could burn you. Either way, blend until smooth.
Next, add 1/2 cup of half & half to make it creamier or you can skip the half & half if you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Before serving, you can garnish the soup with sour cream. This soup is so deliciously comforting and healthy, and makes a big batch so you can store some in the freezer for later. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 20 min Cooking Time: 1 hr.
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6 – 8
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 whole cloves of garlic
1 large bell pepper seeded and cut into chunks
1 stalks celery w/leaves cut up into 1 inch pieces
2 cups baby carrots
1 large onion cut up
2 heaping tablespoons of dried thyme
2 teaspoons chicken base (more to taste}
Salt & pepper
Sour cream for garnish