It is Winter and well, that means more soup. I love Butternut Squash soup and there are many recipes out there. I wanted an easy, tasteful, and lowfat recipe that I could whip up mid-week. This is my version of Butternut Squash Soup.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (optional)
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups of chicken broth (see notes below)
1 cup of nonfat milk
1 tbs. of balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. of honey
1 tbs. of olive oil
1 tbs. of herbs de provence or 1 tbs. (fresh rosemary or thyme or both!)
1 tbs. of parsley (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Place chopped squash on two baking sheets (do not overcrowd the baking sheets.) Toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, herbs de provence, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast vegetables approximately 45 minutes, tossing around 30 minutes until golden brown. I believe this step is what makes this soup so good. Roasting the vegetables, carmelizes them (with the help of the honey and balsamic vinegar) and gives the soup great depth of flavor.
3. Saute the shallots for 3 minutes in a large dutch oven, or soup pot. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds. Add the broth and milk and bring up to just boil. When it comes to chicken broth, I love the boxed version that we all know of. However, I find myself constantly buying box after box and it seems like a waste of money. A fellow cook told me about "Better Than Bouillan." You can find it in a little jar just above the chicken broth. You scoop usually around 1-2 tbs. of the mixture (directions on the jar) and stir it with water - instant broth! This jar lasts forever and you can use the broth with just about anything.
4. Add the roasted butternut squash to the pot and here comes the fun. If you have an immersion blender, blend away until you get a nice consistency - no chunks. If you need to add more milk, do so. If you do not have an immersion blender, well, you can use your normal blender, which I have done many, many times. It results in a messy kitchen and frustration! Purchase an immersion blender immediately.
5. Top with parsley, goat cheese or just about anything you like!
Because the soup is very light, we needed a little extra something to go with it. I found a whole wheat popover recipe online and tweeked it a tad. If you have never had popovers before, it is a must. Popovers work best in a "popover pan." This version is savory and goes great with soups and comfort food. But there are many versions. Cinnamon sugar sounds pretty good to me too.
Savory Whole Wheat Popovers
Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of nonfat milk
1 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of flour
3/4 tsp. of salt
2 tbs. of unsalted butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
1 1/2 tsp. dried herbs de provence (or mix of your favorite dried herbs)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a 12 cup muffin or 6 cup popover pan thoroughly Place the ingredients in the order listed above into a blender.
- Blitz the ingredients for 20 seconds, then stop it to scrape down the sides of the blender.
- Blitz for another 20 seconds or until the batter is smooth.
- Fill each muffin or popover pan cup about two-thirds of the way with batter.
- Bake the popovers for 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes. DO NOT open the oven door during the baking time.
- Remove the popovers from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm.
