Butternut Squash Soup

Making this was my first time to try anything with butternut squash. It always sounded interesting, so I decided to make it into a soup. Turns out that I loved this recipe. It's awesome, nutritious, tasty, and easy to make. I apologize that my pics are not the best at all, as it looks like baby food. However, trust me when I say it is a must try! If you want, you can also change up the recipe with a few twists provided below. (From http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1975 )

Butternut Squash Soup

I apologize for the terrible image quality! I should have had some garnish with it, but this was the first time making it and I had nothing fancy to make it look pretty

 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1 carrot, diced 
1 celery stalk, diced 
1 onion, diced 
4 cups cubed butternut squash, fresh or frozen 
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (I would rather use 1/4 tsp next time, since 1/2 makes it much spicier).


Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Stir in butternut squash, thyme, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. 

Use an immersion blender to purée soup. Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and carefully purée in batches in a traditional blender (this is what I did and it turned out well.)

once again, the image quality is terrible! But take my word that it is a must try!

 3 twists:

Apple, Gorgonzola and Almond Butternut Soup
Stir 1 cup unsweetened applesauce into puréed soup. Garnish each serving with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, toasted almonds, a few slices of thinly sliced apple and a small sprig of fresh thyme.

Thai-style Butternut Soup
Stir a tablespoon of red curry paste and 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger into carrot, celery and onion mixture. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk with broth. Purée soup and garnish each serving with toasted coconut flakes and chopped fresh cilantro.

Southwestern-style Butternut Soup
Add a tablespoon chopped chipotles in adobo sauce to carrot, celery and onion mixture. Garnish soup with crumbled queso fresco, toasted pumpkin seeds and chopped fresh cilantro.

Nutritional Info: 

Per Serving:140 calories (50 from fat), 6g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 280mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 6g protein