Apple and Butternut Squash Soup

With winter coming, nothing feels better than a delicious bowl of butternut squash soup when the chill of winter sets in. The nutrition and health benefits of butternut squash are extensive

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pasture raised butter

1 large onions, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups water

3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 bay leaf

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes, see note below

1 Fuji apple, peeled, cored, diced into ½ inch cubes

1 cup apple juice

Directions

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and nutmeg; sauté 10 minutes

2. Add water, garlic, bring to boil and simmer until vegetables are tender about 30 minutes

3. Add squash, apple, and apple juice/cider.

4. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered until squash and apple are tender, about 30 minutes.

5. Remove bay leaf 

6. Working in batches, puree soup in blender or immersion blender until smooth. 

7. Return soup to pot. 

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

9. Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more broth if desired. 

10. Ladle soup into bowls

11. Garnish and enjoy

Make it your own

Substitute organic chicken stock, veggie broth, or coconut milk for some of the water, step 2

Transform into a curry soup, by adding 1 tablespoon curry powder step 2

Add 1 cup organic pasture raised whole milk yogurt, step 11

Garnish, step 11

Add sourdough croutons

Fresh herbs, chives, parsley, basil

Organic pasture raised whole milk yogurt

Raw nuts

Peeling Butternut squash. Butternut squash can be very tough to cut and peel.  Roast it whole or cut in half at 400 F for 30 minutes, cool and them peel, seed, and cut into pieces.