You may be aware of the health benefits of butternut squash and pumpkin but have you ever had them together? Their flavors compliment each other nicely and together, they provide a powerful 1-2 punch of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
This Winter Squash Soup is a great recipe to make during the cold months. The pumpkin puree thickens up the soup nicely and adds a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. The original recipe called for a cup of half and half, but we swapped it out with low fat milk and didn’t notice much of a difference and still provided some body to the soup as well as a little creaminess. Feel free to use frozen chopped butternut squash to make this dish even easier. Enjoy this soup guilt free on its own or top with a splash of hot sauce, a couple of croutons or a shaving of cheese.
Winter Squash Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
- 1 (15 – ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup low-fat milk
Directions:
Heat the butter and oil in a large pot, add the onions, and cook over medium – low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium – low heat for about 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very tender. Use an immersion stick blender and process soup into a puree, but BE CAREFUL! As soup will be very hot and content may splash. Turn down the heat and slowly add in milk. Serve with a little gruyere cheese or a handful of croutons on top and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/winter-squash-soup-recipe.html?oc=linkback
