I don’t know if it’s really conveyed here (I try really hard to hide it), but I’m not a vegetable eater. They just don’t do it for me. I’m sure I don’t get the daily recommended produce requirement barely ever, and those I do get are usually fruits. I’ve always been a “sweets” person, so I’m sure that’s a huge part of it.But oddly, one way I will eat vegetables is as a soup. I’m not talking gazpacho. I’m sure someday I’ll end up eating my words and sharing with all of you some amaze-balls gazpacho recipe that changed my mind and my life, but for now, gazpacho seems a lot like drinking salsa to me. I don’t get it.
No, when I eat soup, I want creamy, comforting, belly-warming goodness that wreaks so much of Fall you can taste it.
I don’t even want to think of how long ago it was, but some years ago I worked as a waitress at The Gas Lamp, one of my most favorite local restaurants. Now, before this I pretty much swore I didn’t like squash–or anything made from it. But Danny at The Gas Lamp, made this soup one night. I was a convert. The soup was butternut squash. His version is reminiscent of Thai Soup, with coconut, chili powder and curry, but I haven’t been able to perfect it yet, so this one is different.
After Danny turned me on to butternut squash soup, a friend of mine made a large pot of Butternut Squash Soup for the appetizer course at our Thanksgiving dinner. This is a rendition of that. Still wonderfully salty, filling, and fresh, but a totally different flavor from that of The Gas Lamp. Who knew one squash could be so versatile?
Now, you have to understand, these friends have one of the most beautiful gardens you’ve ever seen, on a vineyard in Napa. So most of the herbs they use are fresh cut that morning, and that really does make a difference. But for those of us who don’t have access to that kind of abundance, dried herbs still produce a pungent all encompassing scent and flavor that will have you sniffing in appreciation while the soup is on the stove and in the bowls.
As these squashes can vary so much in size, the recipe below is mostly a guideline and shouldn’t be taken for gospel. It also stands to note that you can use more or less chicken stock depending on how thick and creamy or sippably soupy you want the soup to be. When I’m eating the soup as meals, I like it a little thicker. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say my friends have sometimes said it looks like the consistency of baby food. An extra cup or two of broth fixes that right up by adding a bit more salty umami as well as making the consistency more soup-like.
So here’s to vegetables that make me eat vegetables! They are few and far between, so trust me when I tell you, the vegetable recipes on The Hungry Dater are generally something special because it takes a lot for me to enjoy them–let alone share them. 🙂
Happy Cooking!
Healthy and Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Healthy, Creamy, Butternut Squash Soup that makes healthy taste decadent.
Recipe type: Veggies & Soup
Serves: 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash
- ½ White Onion
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme or 3 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme
- 6-9 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
- 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream (or Milk for a lower fat version)
Instructions
- Cut Squash in half and place both halves on cookie sheet; Roast at 375 degrees for 25-35 min or until soft. Scoop out the soft inside of the squash and discard skins.
- Add 1 Tbsp. to bottom of a dutch oven or soup pot and sautee chopped Onion until soft and translucent--about 3-6 min. Add minced Garlic and sautee 1-3 more min.
- Add 2 Cup Chicken Broth, Squash scooped out, and thyme; Simmer for 10 min.
- Use immersion blender to make soup as smooth as possible.
- Add Chicken Broth, one cup at a time, until desired thickness is achieved.
- Add Salt, Pepper, Cream and Cayenne; Simmer for 5 min.
- Serve
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