Warming Up with Butternut Squash Soup

Squash is such a funny looking vegetable to a newbie. It doesn't even remotely look like it would taste sweet. But oh my goodness! It really hits the spot when you want something sweet without the sugar crash that inevitably comes after most processed snacks.

When I first tried it, I made roasted squash. I sliced it in half and scraped out the seeds with a melon baller. I sprayed the glass pan and the squash with olive oil, then sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper. Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. So simple!

To make the soup, I first roasted the squash as above. However this time, I placed a small bit of water in the dish. I also softened the onions in a skillet with some butter on the stovetop. (I think some flavors just don't come through when prepared in the microwave.) In an effort to make the soup a bit more healthy, I used 2% milk instead of heavy cream. Next time I'll use the cream. There are certain circumstances that I'll use healthy substitutes. This should not be one of them. It sacrifices the taste too much. Depending on how thick you like your soups, you may want to use less vegetable broth. I like soups like this to be thick so next time I'll only use 3 cups of broth.


Butternut Squash Soup from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds butternut squash, cubed 2 onions, chopped 1 tablespoon butter 4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup heavy cream salt and pepper to taste 1 dash ground nutmeg 1 dash ground cloves 1 dash ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

In a large microwave safe dish combine squash, onions and butter. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Peel squash. Stir in broth and cook on high for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until squash is tender. Puree squash, onions and broth in a food processor or blender. Add cream, salt and pepper, and microwave on high for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until heated through. Flavor with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon to taste.