Warming Butternut Squash Soup ~ A Recipe

There are oh so many butternut squash soup recipes out there to choose from.  So why add another one?  Because I've yet to find one I like more than this (in complete humility, of course).  Tehe.  Honestly, you can use any winter squash in this soup (pumpkin, acorn... just not spaghetti) as long as it's been roasted.   This soup can be made silky smooth if you purée it in a high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix.  I just used a basic immersion blender for this batch, hence the lumpy look.  Don't get me wrong, though.  It still goes down smoothly.  Like buttuh.

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6-8

• 1 onion, minced
• 4 Tablespoons healthy cooking fat of your choice (butter, expeller-pressed coconut oil, bacon grease from pastured pigs, etc.)
• 1 large or 2 small butternut squashes (or another winter squash/mixture of squashes; you'll need about 6 cups altogether)
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 to 1 cup white wine (depending on taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
• Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. each is what I usually use)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut ends off squash and cut in half lengthwise.  Spoon out seeds and stringy membranes.  Put halves flat-side-down in a cooking dish with about 1/2 cup water in it.  Bake about 45 minutes or until the meat is scoopable with a spoon.
2. While squash bakes, melt cooking fat in a soup pot.  Add onions and sauté until translucent.  
3. Add cooked squash to the onions, then the chicken stock, apple cider, and white wine.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Spoon out any foam that comes to the surface and add nutmeg, thyme, and red pepper flakes to the soup.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Turn the heat off and add garlic, cream cheese, salt, and pepper.  Mix well and use a blender to purée.  Serve warm in bowls and sprinkle some nutmeg on top.

Enjoy!

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I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Recipe Swap Friday, Barn Hop, Real Food 101, Traditional Tuesdays, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Sunday Soup Night