Butternut Squash Soup

Easy-peasy fall recipe using squash!

Soups are big in my blue house. Growing up my grandma made soup every day of the year. Now I don't make soup every day but I do make soup all year round. Yes, I force my family to eat soups even in the summer. But fall soups are probably the best because nothing sounds better after raking leaves than heading home to a hot bowl of soup(except maybe hot chocolate... ) And this recipe is by far the kids favorite! This soup is soooo easy to make. Don't let the blender part keep you away from this recipe. Its too good to let an extra step scare you off. Plus butternut squash is inexpensive and can be found just about anywhere this time of year. Try it!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 lb carrots
• 3 whole ribs celery
• 3 small onions
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 quart cooked squash, cubed or pureed
• 1 quart broth ( or 1 quart water and equivalent bouillon)
• whole springs of thyme (a couple) and rosemary (about 4 inch sprig)

Directions:

• In a large pot, saute onion, celery and onions in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When onions are translucent and other veggies softened, about 5-7 minutes, add squash and broth. Stir until combined. Add whole herbs. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for about 20minutes.
• Remove whole herbs. Transfer in batches to blender and blend until smooth. Continue until entire pot is processed. At this point you can either reheat to serve it or freeze it for future suppers! ( I freeze mine in quart yogurt containers.)

(If you buy whole butternut squash, it needs to be steamed before you add it to the pot. The easiest way is to cut the squash in half, longways, scoop out the guts then place the hollowed squash cut side down in a shallow baking dish filled with one inch of water. Put it in a 350* oven for about 45 minutes to one hour. You want to be able to pierce the skin with a fork. When its soft, scoop out the insides and mash with a fork or run it through a food mill. Now continue with the recipe.)